Cricket: Flintoff's fitness the big question

With the Ashes depending on it, England yesterday hesitated in selecting their most important test team for four years.

To protect their precious 1-0 lead in the series, they gave themselves the options of sticking with a crocked all-rounder who can barely walk and is soon to retire, or fielding an uncapped 28-year-old South African batsman.

Such is Andrew Flintoff's influence on the balance of the side that he will be given every chance to demonstrate his fitness, perhaps up to the moment of the toss for the fourth test which begins at Headingley tomorrow. So likely is his absence with an injured knee, however, that Warwickshire middle order player Jonathan Trott is on standby.

The squad of 14 the selectors revealed yesterday illustrated uncertainty about players' fitness, team composition and pitch conditions. They know they cannot afford to get it wrong. Fast bowlers Stephen Harmison, who is suffering from severe blisters on his feet, and Ryan Sidebottom have been included but Monty Panesar has been dropped.

Australia, desperate to level matters, have injury concerns of their own. Michael Clarke, the series' most successful batsman, has an abdominal strain which he sustained during his century in the third test on Monday and, although the tourists are optimistic about his chances, he will miss training today. They will take no risks.

If Trott was a surprise choice, it was initially presumed that he would be in the side if Flintoff, who hobbled throughout the last two days of the drawn match at Edgbaston, fails to recover. But the team director, Andy Flower, insisted that nothing is certain and it seems the selectors really do not know what they are doing yet.

"No, that is not an automatic swap," Flower said. "If Fred Flintoff can't play Trott is an option to bat at six, then we balance the bowling attack thereafter. But we might still go with Stuart Broad at seven, Graeme Swann eight and three other bowlers. We trust our top six to score the bulk of the runs and the others have the onus of taking the 20 wickets."

It seems that Trott would play only if Flintoff withdraws because there would be no question of the Lancashire all-rounder being part of a four-man bowling attack. Equally Trott's call-up for the first time to a test squad illustrates the depth of the concerns about Flintoff.

Flower and the England captain, Andrew Strauss, would then have to decide whether four bowlers could bowl out Australia twice and since five of them took only three wickets in three sessions in Birmingham on Monday the conclusion may be obvious.

Creeping into their thoughts, however, will be the retention of England's lead, achieved with the historic victory in the second test at Lord's. By playing an extra batsman they might think it is worthwhile making it more difficult for Australia to take 20 wickets, which they have not looked like doing since the opening game in Cardiff (and ultimately failed to do so there).

Flintoff's body is directing team affairs as never before. When he departs from test cricket after the fifth game at The Oval, England will have to decide whether they think they can win matches with four bowlers (probably not) or with only five specialist batsmen plus the wicketkeeper (probably not).

- INDEPENDENT