Sport | Cricket
England prepare for Flintoff-less Test
England are getting ready for a Headingley Test without Andrew Flintoff - in which they could win the Ashes - by calling up Jonathan Trott and Ryan Sidebottom. Their 14-man squad also includes Steve Harmison but not the second spinner, Monty Panesar.
- By Derek Pringle, The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2009
- Published: 22:38 August 5, 2009
London: England are getting ready for a Headingley Test without Andrew Flintoff - in which they could win the Ashes - by calling up Jonathan Trott and Ryan Sidebottom. Their 14-man squad also includes Steve Harmison but not the second spinner, Monty Panesar.
Flintoff travelled home to Cheshire after the end of the third Test on Monday and saw England's medical team Tuesday, but for him and his captain it is essentially a waiting game before the critical fourth Test starts tomorrow, as Geoff Miller, the national selector explained.
"I would say Freddie's [Flintoff's] prospects are always pretty good," Miller said. "We know that he's determined to finish off his Test career at the Oval and he'll want to play here as well. But we'll have to monitor him day by day to see how his fitness goes and then have a look on the morning of the Test. If he's able to do the workload the captain requires, then he'll be in the side. If not, we'll have to debate it."
Andy Flower, England's team director, who would have seen the extent of Flintoff's troubles at Edgbaston at close hand, was less optimistic, though he essentially came to the same conclusion.
"I suppose with continued wear and tear the percentages would say that he probably is less likely to be able to get through the next Test, but he's a strong bloke," said Flower. "He's also got a strong body, a strong mind and a strong will, and he definitely wants to play these last two Tests. We've planned for the eventuality if he does pull out. He's pretty confident he'll play, but we don't know how he's going to pull up after the exertions of the last Test."
It usually takes two men to replace Flintoff, who, having won the second Test at Lord's with his bowling, set up the chance to win the next at Edgbaston with his batting.
In the recent past England have often done better without him than with him, but the Australians stir his senses and this team's chances of winning the Ashes would be poorer without him.
At 1-0 up with just Headingley and the Oval to come, a win in Leeds would see Andrew Strauss's side reclaim the urn.
In previous squads this summer, Harmison was Flintoff's like-for-like stand-in. But with Kevin Pietersen out for the series and with Australia now revving up Brett Lee and Stuart Clark in the hope of exploiting England's brittle-looking middle order, the option to play the extra batsman looks sensible.
If it happens, the aggressive Trott will play along with four specialist bowlers, with one spot being contested by Stuart Broad, Harmison and Sidebottom.
Which one of the three plays will also betray England's mindset.
If they decide on four front-line bowlers they need to be their best ones and at present Broad is not among them. A vote for him would have the negative connotations that go with packing the batting and playing for a draw.
The choice between Harmison and Sidebottom will depend on the conditions, with the lingering memory of what happened when England picked a horses-for-courses swinger from Nottinghamshire at Headingley last year.
Darren Pattinson was the man brought in, Paul Collingwood was dropped and South Africa won.
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