Battered England look to better Ashes record

England selected Craig White ahead of the struggling Andrew Flintoff for the first Ashes Test against Australia starting at the Gabba on Thu...

England selected Craig White ahead of the struggling Andrew Flintoff for the first Ashes Test against Australia starting at the Gabba on Thursday. Flintoff, who has been battling to recover from a hernia operation, failed a fitness test on Wednesday for the first game of the five-Test series. Australia, meanwhile, dropped fast bowler Brett Lee and replaced him with veteran paceman Andy Bichel.

TEAMS

AUSTRALIA: Steve Waugh (captain), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne, Andrew Bichel, Glenn McGrath.

ENGLAND: Nasser Hussain (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Mark Butcher, Alec Stewart, John Crawley, Craig White, Ashley Giles, Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones.

Story continues below this ad

England coach Duncan Fletcher said: “We had a tough choice… We just felt that the first Test has come round a couple of days too early for Andrew following his comeback.”

White will complement a three-man pace attack including young pace bowler Simon Jones, while left-arm spinner Ashley Giles was also picked. White was not originally chosen in the Ashes squad but was called up from Adelaide, where he was playing grade cricket, as cover for Flintoff.

Lee and Bichel, meanwhile, were left fighting for the last fast bowler’s spot when Jason Gillespie was declared fit after missing the last two Tests against Pakistan. “It was always going to be a tough decision but we just feel that Andy Bichel is bowling better at the moment and deserves his chance,” said captain Steve Waugh.

In an unusual move, Waugh revealed Lee would be allowed to leave the Test squad in Brisbane to play in a first-class match in Sydney despite being officially named as 12th man. “We’ve always considered the 12 should stay together but times have changed a bit and it necessitates a change of thinking,” Waugh said. (Reuters)