Injured Flintoff out, England call reserves

England will field an unfamiliar bowling attack in the second Test against the West Indies starting on Friday at Headingley.

England will field an unfamiliar bowling attack in the second Test against the West Indies starting on Friday at Headingley, with allrounder Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Matthew Hoggard out injured.

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Flintoff failed a fitness Test on his ankle on Wednesday. Hoggard is sidelined with a groin strain, forcing England selectors to call up fast bowlers James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom, who played his only Test six years ago. England captain Michael Vaughan returns from a finger injury that kept him out of the Lord’s Test.

His return means stand-in captain Andrew Strauss could be dropped. “You are always under pressure playing international cricket,” said Vaughan, who has not played Test cricket since December 2005 because of a series of injuries.

Sidebottom will be bidding for a bowling spot alongside Anderson and seamer Liam Plunkett.

Meanwhile, an official review group set up to improve the standard of English cricket has recommended the restructuring of the national team management and reducing the number of games in domestic competition.