Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Strauss will find out on Tuesday which of them will be captain for England's defense of the Ashes.
The England and Wales Cricket Board will announce the squad at The Oval for the five-Test series, which starts November 23 in Brisbane, Australia, needing a replacement for regular captain Michael Vaughan.
Vaughan, who led England to victory against Australia in 2005, had surgery on his right knee in July for the second time in seven months.
Allrounder Flintoff replaced Vaughan as England captain, but hurt his left ankle and also had surgery in July. Strauss then took over, guiding England to a 3-0 series win over Pakistan and a 2-2 draw in the subsequent one-day series.
Both are keen to lead England against Australia. "If I get the opportunity to do it, it would be fantastic, but it's in the hands of the selectors now and we'll just wait and see," Flintoff said Monday. "I'd love to have a go, to be honest, but it's out of our control."
Flintoff said his rehabilitation was going well and he hoped to bowl during the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in India next month.
"I'm going to go out there probably initially as a batsman but probably throughout the tour I'll start handling the ball," Flintoff said.
{{/usCountry}}"I'm going to go out there probably initially as a batsman but probably throughout the tour I'll start handling the ball," Flintoff said.
{{/usCountry}}Strauss hopes he's proved to selectors he can handle the England captaincy.
"I've been captaining the side since May-June time so I think they've got a fair idea about what sort of captain I am," Strauss said. "I'd love to do the job in Australia if asked, but it's for other people to decide who is the best to lead that side." Under Strauss' leadership, England has ended a poor run of form in the one-day game. Prior to winning successive limited overs matches at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, England had lost nine matches out of 10 in 2006.