Durham's Onions to fly home (From The Northern Echo)

Durham's Onions to fly home

10:32am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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DURHAM and England seamer Graham Onions will fly back to England after being ruled out of the two-Test series against Bangladesh due to a back injury.

The 27-year-old suffered the complaint in training last week after arriving in the sub-continent for the Test series and missed the three-day warm-up game against Bangladesh A.

Onions was yesterday ruled out for the opening Test, which begins in Chittagong tomorrow, but with the problem showing no signs of improving the Durham seamer has now been ordered home to recover.

England are also sweating on the fitness of Stuart Broad who yesterday resumed bowling after suffering back spasms, with no replacement for Onions expected to be named.

England captain Alastair Cook, who would almost certainly have handed Onions the new ball had he been available, sympathised with the seamer.

"I'm desperately disappointed for him," said Cook ahead of his first match in charge of the five-day side.

"He was a huge part of our plans and he still is, obviously, because of the way he bowled in South Africa.

"He was unlucky not to take more wickets than he did there because he bowled really well.

"I was expecting him come to these conditions and bowl really well too."

Cook, whose attack now looks likely to comprise of both spinners plus one of Tim Bresnan or Steve Finn alongside Broad, added: "These things happen and luckily we've got the strength in depth in our seam-bowling unit to be able to cope."