Cricket: Anderson axed for Antigua showdown.

Byline: RICHARD GIBSON

JAMES Anderson yesterday became England's high-profile omission from the EUR20m showdown with the Stanford Superstars, writes RICHARD GIBSON.

Anderson has been a permanent fixture in England's limited-overs team for the past 13 months but was left out to accommodate Graeme Swann as a second spinner in Sir Allen Stanford's groundbreaking match in Antigua today.

The absence of the 26-year-old, who was last overlooked for a Twenty20 contest against Australia at the World Championship in September 2007, is the only change from the XI which wrapped up a comprehensive 4-0 victory over South Africa in the NatWest Series.

The effectiveness of the slow bowlers on the Coolidge surface earlier in the week persuaded England's management to draft in Swann, whose last one-day international was against New Zealand in June.

"It was never going to be the easiest decision, in fact it was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in terms of carrying 11 players onto the field," said captain Kevin Pietersen, whose side does include Durham duo Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison.

"But what we realise is that we play to win for England and unfortunately the circumstances have arisen in terms of the pitch, and the outfield, and the way games have gone, we have to play another spinner."

Ryan Sidebottom, who has been kept out of net sessions in recent days with a stiff calf, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara are the other men who will be on the sidelines as an England XI attempt to earn EUR1m a man. If England are successful, the other squad members share the same sum between them.

Anderson, who is fourth in England's wicket-takers' list in one-day internationals with 127, would have been a certainty for the match back in August before Harmison came out of a self-imposed limited-overs exile, and was still in the box seat when the players arrived on the island a week ago today. He is also one of England's best fielders - Pietersen nominated him and Andrew Flintoff as the men he would most like to be under a cash-defining catch.

Luke Wright has been retained in the side for his explosive hitting and ability with the ball at the death, despite not having batted or bowled in the warm-up matches.

Sussex all-rounder Wright has also been pinpointed as a potential batsman should the match finish in a tie and a Stanford Super Over - effectively a new match of just six balls per side - be necessary to decide the result.

"Flintoff would bowl our over as one of the world's greatest yorker and death bowlers and to bat, Owais Shah is a fantastic striker of the ball from the start, so I think it would be myself, Shah, Flintoff and Paul Collingwood in the reckoning," said Pietersen.

"But if you have a guy like Luke Wright who is 30 not out and smashing it, and we flip a coin and say we will have a bat, he will probably bat with somebody."

STANFORD SUPERSTARS (from): CH Gayle (captain), ADS Fletcher, S Chanderpaul, RR Sarwan, SC Joseph, KA Pollard, DJG Sammy, LJ Cush, DBL Powell, SJ Benn, JE Taylor, D Mohammed, RR Emrit, LOD James.

ENGLAND: KP Pietersen (captain), IR Bell, MJ Prior, OA Shah, A Flintoff, PD Collingwood, SR Patel, LJ Wright, SCJ Broad, GP Swann, SJ Harmison.

Umpires: SJA Taufel (Australia) & RE Koertzen (South Africa)

CAPTION(S):

CUP OF JOY - FOR SOMEBODY England captain Kevin Pietersen and Superstars skipper Chris Gayle are ready for the money match.