Freddie out of first test

Flintoff picked up the shoulder injury - thought to be a compressed nerve - a week ago in the process of registering a century playing against Middlesex, and despite hopes that he would be fit for the Lord's encounter, the selection of McGrath in the original XIII as cover always seemed to be more than just 'a precaution'.

McGrath, the Yorkshire captain, would normally be expected to fill in as the fourth seamer but he may well have a little more work to do with the ball than usual. Matthew Hoggard is due to undergo a fitness test later today on a troublesome abdominal injury.


Posted by Eddie