Flintoff ready to postpone operation for England cause

In making himself available for Thursday's third Test against India, Andrew Flintoff has made it clear that he will play through the pain barrier in order to get England the series win they desperately want.

Flintoff, who has been suffering from groin problems since the one-day series a month ago, has been advised by a surgeon in Manchester that he is likely to need a hernia operation in the near future.

The timing of his surgery, which involves a four-week recovery period, will depend on whether he passes a fitness test early next week before the Test at Headingley.

Should the 23-year-old come through these tests he will play, and Nasser Hussain will have his strongest bowling attack of the summer to pick from. If he does not, England, who are already deprived of the services of Craig White with an abdominal tear, will have a huge hole to fill. And the fact that England are prepared to entertain playing Flintoff when he is not 100 per cent fit indicates how important he has become.

Losing Flintoff and White, England's two bowling all-rounders, would badly affect the balance of the side. Without a genuine Test-class all-rounder to replace these two, England would be forced to play with either a batsman or a bowler less than they had at Trent Bridge. Because of this, the temptation will be to keep playing Flintoff as long as it is physically possible.

The hope will be that they can wrap up this series at Headingley and then give him the time off he requires. Hussain has already described England's decision to keep playing Flintoff as "slightly unprofessional" and there must be concerns that further aggravation of the area could inflict longer-term damage. Flintoff's bowling action is not one of the smoothest to have graced the game and it is through sheer grit and determination that he gets the ball down the other end at 85mph plus.

A player who will be welcomed back by both Hussain and the England coach, Duncan Fletcher, is Andrew Caddick. Having Caddick in the side will help cushion the potential loss of Flintoff or make playing him a risk worth taking. Some have suggested, following the recent success of England's bowlers, that Hussain and his side could live without the Somerset paceman as well as Darren Gough.

While the potential of Simon Jones, Stephen Harmison and Alex Tudor has shown there is definitely a future to look forward to when Caddick and Gough decide to hang up their boots, these young thrusters still have some way to go before they can be considered the finished article. All three have the raw materials and potential to be forces in the future. They each have pace and a temperament for the big occasion yet lack the class and consistency of England's No 1 opening partnership.

Caddick on his day is a class act, as good as anything in the world, and it has been a frustration to many that he fails to produce the goods as frequently as Glenn McGrath or Shaun Pollock, two fast bowlers he is capable of matching. He is, however, ranked as the ninth-best bowler in the world and has skills up his sleeve that both these bowlers would love.

Through taking 10 wickets and bowling more than 60 overs in his last two games for his county, Caddick has proved that he has both recovered from his rib injury and is back in form. Headingley should be the ideal venue for him to show everyone what they have been missing.

Another player who should expect further good news this morning after his debut at Trent Bridge is Robert Key. The Kent opener may have scored only 17 runs in his only innings of the match but he did not look the slightest bit overawed. With the bat in his hand Key moved well and seemed comfortable, he also took two excellent catches at first slip.

The final XI will depend on the pitch, but with Dominic Cork and Tudor also fit for selection it seems Ashley Giles may once again be nothing more than a glorified drinks waiter.

ENGLAND (Probable squad v India, third Test, Headingley, Thursday): N Hussain (capt), M Vaughan, R Key, M Butcher, J Crawley, A Stewart (wkt), A Flintoff, A Tudor, A Giles, D Cork, A Caddick, M Hoggard, S Harmison.

* England have named the Sussex pace bowler James Kirtley as Darren Gough's replacement in the squad for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.