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Rediff.com  » Sports » Injured England players face assessments

Injured England players face assessments

May 22, 2007 09:01 IST
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Injured England players Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard will have their fitness assessed on Tuesday before the squad for Friday's second Test against West Indies is named.

Captain Vaughan and all-rounder Flintoff did not play in the first test which ended in a draw at Lord's on Monday while Hoggard took no further part in the match after leaving the field with a thigh injury on Saturday.

The England squad for the match at Headingley is due to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Vaughan, who has not played Test cricket for England for 18 months through injury, was forced to withdraw from the Lord's Test after fracturing a finger.

"Michael looks like he will play," England coach Peter Moores told a news conference on Monday.

"He's got a slightly more severe test tomorrow but every indication so far, every bat he's had so far, there's been a little bit of pain but nothing that should stop him playing."

Flintoff failed to pass a fitness test on his troubled left ankle before the match but batted for his county Lancashire at the weekend.

"He's going to have a bowl tomorrow and a bit of a bat and we will see how he comes through that. As soon as we can make a decision we will," Moores said.

LEAST LIKELY

Hoggard, England's senior bowler, is the least likely of the trio to play in Leeds.

"Matthew is quite doubtful for Headingley," Moores said. "We will see where he is tomorrow, check our injuries and then we can announce the squad."

West Indies' captain Ramnaresh Sarwan said his team's only injury concern was opener Daren Ganga who has had stitches inserted in his forearm.

Sarwan, whose team came to Lord's desperately short of match practice after losing two days' play in their only warm-up game, said he was happy with the performance.

Although West Indies failed to dismiss England in either innings their batsmen tallied 437 and 89 without loss in their turn at the crease.

"There was a lot said about us and the preparation coming into the Test match," Sarwan said. "There not much we can complain about, probably the only little concern I have is our bowling in the first session and I thought we came back really well after lunch. I thought everyone played their part especially the batters."

England acting captain Andrew Strauss said there was lot of good things to come out of England's first Test match since they lost the Ashes 5-0 to Australia. Five England batsmen scored centuries and Strauss was able to declare both innings closed.

"I was very happy with the batting, not just that there were five centuries but the way they were scored," Strauss said.

"They guys played the situation excellently. We've got momentum going forward and we just have to build on that now."

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Source: REUTERS
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