Shahzad added as Sidebottom cover

Ajmal Shahzad, the Yorkshire allrounder, has been added to England's one-day squad as injury cover for Ryan Sidebottom who has picked up a hamstring problem.

Sidebottom, who suffered his injury against Worcestershire in the Friends Provident t20, has not been ruled out of the forthcoming five-match series against Australia which starts next week, but Shahzad will join up with the team ahead of the ODI against Scotland, in Edinburgh, on Saturday.

Sidebottom was a key member of the World Twenty20 squad in the Caribbean having kept James Anderson out of the final XI throughout the tournament. It marked an upturn in his fortunes after an 18-month period where he was beset by injuries although he retained the support of coach Andy Flower.

"It's a shame Ryan has picked up this injury as he's been injury-free for some time now and bowling well," said Geoff Miller, the national selector. "Thankfully it's a relatively minor injury and we look forward to him making a full recovery soon."

Shahzad was unlucky to miss out on the original squad having impressed on his Test debut against Bangladesh, at Old Trafford, where he took four wickets in the match and caught the attention with his rapid reverse swing. He made his ODI debut earlier this year, also against Bangladesh, at Chittagong.

Sidebottom's injury could mean that Anderson will have the chance to regain his one-day spot having voiced concerns about where he now sits in the pecking order after sitting out the World Twenty20.