• England in India 2012

Stuart Broad out of T20 action

Stuart Broad, England's Twenty20 captain, has been ruled out of the two-match T20 international series against India and will fly home to the UK along with Steven Finn.

Broad had suffered a recurrence of the heel problem picked up earlier on the tour, while Finn strained a disc in his back during the third Test. Eoin Morgan will lead the T20I side in Broad's absence.

Middlesex seamer James Harris, a member of the England Performance Programme (EPP) squad currently in Pune, where the first T20I will be played on December 20, has been added to the squad in place of Broad. Finn was not included in the original squad, as part of the ECB's move towards a rotation policy.

While Finn is expected to be fit for the ODI series in January, Broad has been prescribed a period of rest and rehabilitation. He has broken down at various point in the last two years, missing Test matches in Australia and Sri Lanka, as well as the 2011 limited-overs series in India. Broad was also rested for the third West Indies Test and the one-dayers against South Africa during the summer, before leading England at the World Twenty20.

One of the few England players involved in all three formats, the workload appears to have taken increasing toll on Broad's body, not to mention his form, with his pace having dropped noticeably. He lost his place to Finn for the third Test against India in Kolkata, before a bruised heel prevented any chance of participation in Nagpur. Broad was due to return to India after the third ODI, replacing James Anderson, but his participation in the series is now in doubt.

Harris, who is uncapped but a regular with the Lions, joins Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker as England's seamers for the T20I series. The squad had already been lightened by the decision to rest Finn, Graeme Swann and Kevin Pietersen, while Andy Flower, Graham Gooch and Phil Neale are among members of the team management also returning home after the conclusion of the fourth Test.

Fielding coach Richard Halsall will be left in charge, with Ashley Giles taking the reins as England's new limited-overs coach in January. The first T20I will take place next Thursday, with the teams heading to Mumbai for the second match on December 22.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.