England recall Harmison for third Test

England have recalled Stephen Harmison to their 13-man squad announced on Saturday for the third Test against South Africa starting at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

The Durham fast bowler has not played for England since being dropped along with new-ball colleague Matthew Hoggard following the first Test defeat away to New Zealand at Hamilton in March.

But he has looked back to somewhere near his best during county cricket this season and now the 29-year-old has been recalled to add extra pace to an attack that has taken just 13 wickets in the last 344.3 overs bowled at South Africa during the series.

Australia-raised seamer Darren Pattinson, controversially awarded a Test debut in the second Test at Headingley, where the Proteas won by 10 wickets to go 1-0 up in the four-match series, and squad member Chris Tremlett have both been dropped.

England have also recalled Harmison's county colleague Paul Collingwood, dropped at Headingley where England's top five batsmen managed just one fifty between them in the whole match.

Left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom, a Nottinghamshire team-mate of Pattinson, returns to the squad after missing the second Test because of a back injury.

But it is the recall of Harmison which was the eye-catching move and England national selector Geoff Miller said: "Steve Harmison has been bowling well for Durham this season and his inclusion in the Test squad gives us another option in terms of our bowling attack for the Edgbaston Test.

Turning to Sidebottom, Miller added: "Ryan Sidebottom has been progressing well with his back injury over the past week and we're confident he'll be fit for selection but obviously he'll be monitored closely in the lead up to next Wednesday."

Collingwood, who had played 33 consecutive Tests until being dropped, could now return if England decide to bolster their batting by opting for a four-man, rather than five-man, attack at Edgbaston.

"Paul Collingwood was unlucky to miss out on a place in the team for the second npower Test match but this decision was based on a number of factors," said Miller.

"He has shown what a true professional he is by returning to Durham over the past week and playing well for his county."

Victory for South Africa at Edgbaston would give them an unbeatable 2-0 lead and see them win a Test series in England for the first time since 1965.

England could send second string team to Champions Trophy

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said that it cannot guarantee the participation of all its players in the Champions Trophy unless the tournament is shifted from Pakistan.

England is the fourth country to give such a warning after Australia, New Zealand and South Africa shared their concerns over security in Pakistan. A final decision on the venue is scheduled to be made by tele- conference this week.

According to The Times, advice from the British Foreign Office about Pakistan, which is displayed on its website, reads: "There is a high threat from terrorism and sectarian violence throughout Pakistan." Among the cities with a "heightened threat to Westerners" are the venues of Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore.

England players will be briefed by the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) before the start of the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston Wednesday.

Sri Lanka is the designated back-up venue, but switching to Colombo, where there are also security concerns, may create apprehension and South Africa and England have been mooted as potential alternatives.

Reports from India say that the ICC is aware of a "credible external threat" to the competition and an ICC statement acknowledged that, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) provided a high level of security during the Asia Cup, which finished this month, concerns have been expressed about "potential for threats beyond the PCB's control".

If one of the concerned boards calls for a vote, seven of the ten full members -- including Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, who are not involved in the eight-team event -- must back a switch. As ever in the world of ICC politics, the position of the Asian bloc will be central to the outcome.

English cricket set for Twenty20 double

English cricket is to feature two Twenty20 competitions as part of a new structure for the domestic game starting in 2010, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Wednesday.

The new English Premier League (EPL) will feature two, as yet unnamed, overseas teams, in addition to England's 18 first-class counties, playing in two divisions of 10.

The existing Pro-40 competition, a 40 overs per side event, will end in 2009 and be replaced in 2010 by a Twenty20 League which will incorporate all 18 counties. This competition will be played primarily on Friday nights in July and August.

Plans were agreed at a board meeting on Tuesday.

An ECB statement added the Twenty20 League would be the qualifying tournament for the multi-million dollar Champions League, the inaugural edition of which takes place later this year and features the world's leading domestic Twenty20 sides.

The board's announcement put paid to the proposal put forward by MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw and Surrey chairman David Stewart which envisaged a nine-team tournament similar to the lucrative Indian Premier League.

However, the ECB said the EPL would incorporate "elements" of the duo's plans, which did feature Friday night matches.

The board also agreed the 2010 season would, as happens at present, include a 50 over competition and aimed at a schedule which allowed for 16 County Championship matches to be played in a two division structure.

The EPL will be staged in June with the Twenty20 League being played in July, August and September.

ECB chairman Giles Clarke said: "I am delighted the board unanimously supported these creative proposals... we have already received enormous broadcast and sponsor interest from around the world which was reported to the board by the chief executive, David Collier."

T20 match postponed due to ineligible player

A Twenty20 Cup quarter-final was postponed around an hour before its start on Monday when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) received claims that one of the teams had fielded an ineligible player in an earlier round.

Hundreds of fans had arrived at the Riverside ground expecting to see Durham entertain Yorkshire when the ECB revealed an earlier match between the visitors and Nottinghamshire on June 27 was under investigation.

Reports in the British media on Tuesday said 6,000 tickets had been sold for the match.

"Yorkshire fielded Azeem Rafiq who is alleged to be an unqualified cricketer," an ECB statement said.

"After investigation this morning (Monday) the board`s legal advisers confirmed that the player was not eligible to be registered as a qualified cricketer."

"ECB made it clear to both counties that ...the panel could order the replay of any match or matches which could affect any quarter-final."

Rafiq, a 17-year-old off-spinner, made his debut for Yorkshire in the match, taking 0-18 in two overs and he did not bat. The ECB said its disciplinary panel would meet on Thursday to discuss the issue, so any relevant matches could be played before Twenty20 finals day on July 26.

Eng-Pak Oval result to be changed

The International Cricket Council is planning to change the result of the controversial 2006 Test between England and Pakistan.

The match at The Oval was originally given to England after Pakistan were accused of ball-tampering and refused to re-enter the field after tea on the fourth day.

England were 4-293 in their second innings and field umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove awarded England five penalty runs, ruling the Pakistan team had been guilty of doctoring the ball to help it swing. The game was forfeited, giving England a 3-0 series lead.

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was later cleared of ball-tampering by an ICC tribunal, although he was banned for four matches for bringing the game into disrepute by initially refusing to resume play.

Pakistan blamed Hair for the result and in the aftermath the Australian was dropped from the ICC's elite umpiring panel and took them to an industrial tribunal, alleging racial discrimination. The case eventually collapsed.

The former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan told the BBC he "would welcome any decision to change the result".

A formal announcement of the decision on whether to change the result of the test is expected on Friday (EST).

Pietersen eager to captain against South Africa

Kevin Pietersen has said he will have no qualms about captaining England against South Africa, the land of his birth.

"That would be great," said Pietersen, who will lead England for the first time in Saturday's fifth and final one-day international against New Zealand here at Lord's.

And the Hampshire batsman, who on Friday celebrated his 28th birthday, could get his wish granted as soon as August.

Pietersen only got the job of leading England's one-day side after a slow over-rate at The Oval on Wednesday during New Zealand's dramatic one-wicket win saw regular skipper Paul Collingwood banned for four games for twice being in charge of a team that had fallen behind the clock in the past 12 months.

Collingwood will still be banned when England play South Africa in the lone Twenty20 international on August 20 at the Riverside and the first ODI of a five-match series at Headingley two days later.

Born in Pietermaritzburg, Pietersen controversially quit South Africa in protest at a racial quota policy he believed was hampering his chances of making it as a professional player.

Some English cricket fans may be uneasy with a South African-born captain of their national side - and plenty of South Africans are not thrilled by the prospect either, even though Pietersen's mother is English.

"I get it at every single ground," Pietersen told reporters at Lord's. "At The Oval, the other day, fielding on the boundary, there were a lot of South Africans in the crowd, hammering me. "That's just what I've got to deal with. "At the end of the day, people can see how passionate I am and how much I want to win for England," added Pietersen, who made his debut for English county Nottinghamshire in 2001 before qualifying for his adopted country three years later.

"That's the only thing I think about, winning games for England. I love playing for England, it's the best thing ever."

However, there are still plenty of doubters and they are unlikely to be re-assured by the pen picture of Pietersen in Saturday's matchday programme.

In it he lists his favourite cricket ground as Cape Town's Newlands with South Africa golfer Ernie Els his all-time sporting hero, while his favourite food is off a braai, a South African barbecue.

Pietersen will not be the first South African-born captain of England. Team-mate Andrew Strauss, born in Johannesburg but educated in England, did the job in the absence of Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff while Allan Lamb

led the side in three Tests in the 1990s when Graham Gooch was out injured.

The last full-time captain of England to be born in South Africa was the flamboyant Tony Greig, like Pietersen an immensely self-confident cricketer who knew his commercial worth.

A gifted all-rounder, Greig's background was held against him in when he was stripped of the England captaincy in 1977 after acting as the recruiting sergeant for Kerry Packer's rebel World Series Cricket in Australia.

The Times newspaper described Greig as "English by adoption, which is not the same thing as being English through and through".

However South Africa's cricket isolation because of apartheid had already led to the cancellation of Test series in England and Australia by the time Greig made his England debut in 1972.

By contrast, Pietersen had the option to play international cricket for South Africa. The fact he chose to move abroad explains much of the reason for the animosity between himself and current Proteas captain Graeme Smith, also a white cricketer, who came through the same system in South Africa.

Pietersen, whose pop singer wife Jessica is English said his attachment to England would surive his cricket career - Greig, who became a television commentator, has lived in Australia for over 30 years.

Asked if he would stay in England for the rest of his life, Pietersen replied: "100 percent. Jess is a very English home girl, very tight with her mum, so I won't be leaving, I promise you."

English players' poll reveals lure of IPL

Half
of England's leading players would consider quitting international
cricket early to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL),
according to a recent survey.

A poll by the Professional
Cricketers' Association said that 50 percent of current England
internationals would consider premature retirement from the highest
form of the game.

The survey comes at a time where Twenty20 is
spawning an extraordinary cash influx into the game with Allen Stanford
prepared to offer a million dollars a man to members of the winning
side in a one-off clash between England and his Caribbean All Stars in
November.

His move followed the creation of the unsanctioned
Indian Cricket League (ICL) and its rival Twenty20 event, the
officially backed Indian Premier League both of which offer players the
chance to earn big money in a relatively short space of time.

More
recently a new 10-million dollar Champions League featuring leading
domestic sides from around the world was also announced.

"The
current imbalance between remuneration for Twenty20 cricket and the
longer forms of the game does present a very real threat to the
existing fabric of the game," a report accompanying the PCA poll said.

"The
financial rewards offered by the Indian leagues will entice players to
retire early from county and international cricket - and senior players
at that. The impact on the strength of our international sides would be
huge.

However, a poll of 334 players in English domestic cricket
revealed strong support for Test cricket with 93 percent saying it
should retain its current status at the summit of world cricket.

ECB seeks clarification on ban on ICL players

England
& Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says there is confusion over Indian Cricket board's decision to ban counties fielding rebel Indian Cricket
League (ICL) players in Twenty20 Champions League later this summer.

ECB is seeking clarification on the issue from other participating
countries of Champions League. BCCI says England can take part in
Twenty20 Champions League on condition that counties will not include
ICL players in sides playing in championship to be held in India in
September.

BCC's stand, ECB sources feel is contrary to understanding between two Boards. It was agreed that ICL players will
be barred from Champions League, not counties.

British media reported conflicting versions on Indian Board's decision. BCCI
secretary Niranjan Shah was quoted as saying that Pakistan had already
been invited to replace England and former BCCI president Inderjit
Singh Bindra, an influential member of IPL governing council said only
three countries are confirmed and Pakistan could be fourth if English
counties refuse to drop ICL players from their teams.

BCCI though left ball in court of three participating nations - Australia,
South Africa & Pakistan - to reach a consensus on issue during
International Cricket Council's (ICC) meeting in Dubai next week.

"This is a venture between four countries and we are awaiting Australia to
come up with rules and regulations. We are expecting that to take place
next week in Dubai," an ECB spokesman was quoted as saying.

The finalists of ongoing Twenty20 Cup in England in August will qualify for
Champions League. But only three of 18 counties - Essex, Middlesex
& Somerset - do not have players who have signed ICL contracts and
it is more likely ECB will face a situation where they will have to
take a firm stand on whether to play or boycott it.

The likelihood is that two counties qualifying from England will have ICL
players, and if they are subsequently withdrawn from Champions League,
counties will face legal implications.

ICL lawyer Jeremy Roberts says legal action against ECB would be inevitable as "It would be a
restraint of trade." ECB could invite alternative counties to represent
England if leading ones insist on keeping "rebel" players.

England stars 'still set for IPL'

Players' chief Sean Morris believes England stars will compete in next season's Indian Premier League, despite the advent of the Stanford Twenty20.

England last week agreed to compete in five £10m matches against Stanford's Super Stars - but Morris says players still want to play in the IPL.

"Players want to face the best, and that's the IPL," Morris told BBC Sport.

"There are several IPL offers on the table and I think three or four England players will take part next season."

The first Stanford match will take place on 1 November in Antigua in the Caribbean.

Winning players will receive £500,000 each, with another £1m split between the rest of the squad and coaches.

England and Wales Cricket Board wants to use the matches as a "carrot" to prevent players taking part in the IPL.

But Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, said: "The Stanford matches don't clash with the IPL.

"The only way to prevent England players taking part in the IPL would be to contractually specify where they can and can't play.

"That would be a restrictive approach and I don't think the ECB will do that."

Morris says he welcomes the Stanford matches because of the level of investment it would mean for English and West Indies cricket.

But he has concerns Test match players would not be anywhere near as well remunerated.

"The biggest concern we have is about Test match bonuses," said Morris.

"We need a balance between the rewards for Twenty20 and Test match players.

"Test match cricket still generates a lot of money - more than Twenty20 - but the rewards are not there for the players. I don't think that's fair.

"So we need to restructure and revaluate cricket in this country. This is a great opportunity for us to do that."

The inaugural IPL season clashed with the start of the English domestic season and the Test series with New Zealand.

However, next year's tour to the West Indies will finish a month earlier, possibly allowing England's players to play in India, but room in the domestic schedule would also need to found.

The organisers of the IPL agreed not to approach England players for the first season, which was won by Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals.

ECB chief Giles Clarke had said he did not want England players to compete in the IPL, but has since softened his stance, saying it will be down to coach Peter Moores to decide on the possible participation of his stars.

England coach ready for Kiwi backlash

England coach Peter Moores expects New Zealand to be a far tougher proposition in the upcoming One-Day series than they were in a lopsided Test campaign.

England cruised to a 2-0 Test series victory with an innings and nine run win, achieved with more than a day to spare, at Trent Bridge here on Sunday - a result that followed a 2-1 series win for Moores's men in New Zealand in March.

They also won both Twenty20 internationals on that tour, an encouraging sign for England ahead of Friday's one-off Twenty20 at Old Trafford. But the five One-Day Internationals that follow should see the Black Caps at their best.

New Zealand beat England 3-1 in a One-Day series on home soil in February and are ranked third in the world in the 50 over game. Last year they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in the Caribbean after beating England in the pool phase.

And on their previous tour of England, four years ago, New Zealand won a triangular One-Day series also featuring the West Indies.

"I think they'll come really hard at us in the One-Dayers because they pride themselves on being a good One-Day side," said Moores. "They've played well away from home in the past and they'll really want to try to bounce back and it will be quite tough.

"As a One-Day side we're still finding out some roles and settling a bit as a team, so we've got plenty to concentrate on and we're going to have to play very well to win the One-Day series."

All the members of England's One-Day squad, except the Nottinghamshire trio of Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann, whose team do not have a match, have been released to play for their counties in Wednesday's domestic Twenty20 Cup games as a warm-up for the Old Trafford fixture.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, whose squad will be boosted by the inclusion of all-rounder Scott Styris, now a One-Day specialist, also expects a marked improvement from the Black Caps in the limited overs format.

"We're a lot more confident in that form, maybe because it's shorter and we don't have to perform for very long periods," Vettori said. But the left-arm spinner added: "We know we have to pick it up though, because England do have the momentum. Their squad doesn't change much and neither does ours."

New Zealand will prepare for the Twenty20 clash with a One-Day warm-up game against Worcestershire at New Road on Wednesday.

Vettori's side could find themselves facing fast bowler Simon Jones, one of the stars of England's 2005 Ashes series win. The former Glamorgan quick is currently on his way back from a succession of injuries and has taken 13 wickets in his last two County Championship matches.

However, it has become increasingly common for counties to rest their leading players for what are frequently regarded as 'meaningless' matches against touring teams.

England unveil Caribbean itinerary

The England & Wales Cricket Board has confirmed the itinerary for England's 2009 tour of the West Indies, comprising of four Tests, one Twenty20 international and a five-match ODI series.

England will arrive in Barbados on Wednesday, January 21, where they will play two three-day warm up matches before moving to Jamaica for the first Test against West Indies at Sabina Park on Wednesday, February 4.

The teams then move onto Antigua, where the second Test will take place at Sir Vivian Richards stadium in North Sound, starting on February 13, and a two-day tour match, the details of which have yet to be confirmed, will be fitted in before the third Test in Barbados, starting on February 26.

The fourth and final Test (March 6-10) will be played at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad, with the same venue hosting the Twenty20 match less than a week later.

The tour concludes with the five-match ODI series, starting with two games in Guyana on March 20 and 22, closely followed by two more in Barbados, and the series finale in St Lucia on Friday, April 3.

England's recent tours of the Caribbean have generally started and finished five weeks later, which suggests that a window has been created to allow players from both squads to compete in the Indian Premier League.

Either way, England face a busy 2009 schedule, with the ICC World Twenty20 in May and June, followed by the Ashes in July and August.

ECB ponder radical domestic changes

The ECB's board of directors will meet on Thursday to discuss radical changes to the English domestic structure, in response to the hype surrounding the Indian Premier League and the huge global success of Twenty20.

Among the ideas being mooted are, according to today's Guardian, a 21-team Twenty20 league and a revamped Pro40 competition of two 20-over innings per side, as well as a return to the three-day Championship. Perhaps most notable is the plan to divide the Championship into three conferences, with southern, midland and northern divisions.

In addition, the ECB are committed to a four-nation Twenty20 quadrangular, bankrolled by the Texan billionaire Allen Stanford.

It has been made abundantly clear that the IPL has shown the cricket world how to make vast amounts of money in a short space of time, and England - slightly peeved that they didn't think of it first - want a slice of the pie. One such idea is an English Premier League to directly challenge its Indian counterpart, with the IPL champions joining the competition to inflate interest from overseas broadcasters. However, the EPL could mean a reduction in the number of county sides, with teams merging into franchises or regional sides, a notion many county chief executives have rejected out of hand.

The radical changes could come into effect as early as 2010, coinciding with a renewed deal for broadcasters. ECB's current contract with BSkyB, Five and the BBC, worth £220m, expires at the end of the 2009 season.

Vaughan backs Monty to put New Zealand in a spin

England captain Michael Vaughan is backing Monty Panesar to produce more bowling heroics at Old Trafford when the second Test against New Zealand starts at the Manchester ground on Friday.

Left-arm spinner Panesar has enjoyed his last two Test appearances on a pitch now known for its pace and bounce as well as turn - an enticing prospect for both slow bowlers and genuine quicks.

Last year, against the West Indies, his Test-best match return of 10 wickets for 187 runs helped England to a 60-run win.

And in 2006 his second innings return of five for 72, allied to five for 55 from now out-of-favour fast bowler Stephen Harmison, saw England to a crushing innings and 120-run victory against Pakistan.

Panesar was far less influential in the drawn first Test against New Zealand at Lord's concluded here Monday.

He took one for 30, albeit the prize scalp of Brendon McCullum for 97 in the first innings, and one for 56 in 24 economical overs as the tourists, led by centurion Jacob Oram, batted their way to safety.

"I thought Monty bowled excellently in this game without getting the wickets, but he'll be getting in his car going up to Manchester knowing that his last two games he's got five in an innings twice.

"So hopefully he'll come to the fore there and so will all the seam bowlers," Vaughan added.

But anything Panesar can do, rival left-arm Daniel Vettori can do too.

The New Zealand captain was named man-of-the-match for taking five wickets for 69 runs in 22.3 overs during England's only innings of 319 on a Lord's pitch which offered him no assistance at all.

It was an even more impressive display given he'd come into the game under an injury cloud after sustaining a cut to his spinning finger.

And Vettori for one was looking forward to playing on a much-changed pitch at Old Trafford.

"I know when I played here a long time ago, it was a slow dust-bowl. It's certainly turned around and the England guys have mentioned a couple of times it's got a bit of pace in it.

"We are excited by that, I know our fast bowlers will be."

He added: "When you go round the world, there's no set recipe for wickets anymore. Good players adapt and good teams win in any situation."

Vettori said he'd been buoyed by the way his side had stayed in the game at Lord's, after being made to bat first in difficult, overcast conditions before, in the second innings, all-rounder Jacob Oram's 101 saved the match.

"I just think we'll take some confidence out of the game.

"Particular players stood up throughout the game," said Vettori, who highlighted the innings of 68 played by novice opener Jamie How and 23-year-old debutant middle-order batsman Daniel Flynn, 29 not out at the finish.

"Jamie How played really well today (Monday) and Daniel Flynn had a composed, mature innings for such a young guy in his first Test.

Vaughan, whose 106 was the cornerstone of England's total, said this result showed how well-matched the sides were.

"Both teams will be happy," said Vaughan, who in March led England to a come-from-behind 2-1 Test series win in New Zealand.

"They will say they got out safely, very calmly in the end.

"We'll feel we created opportunities to maybe win the game today (Monday) that we didn't quite grasp.

"But really the game hasn't gone far enough for either team to say who's come out on top. This game's proved that the series will be a tough one."

New Zealand gears up for England cricket test series

England captain Michael Vaughan has already started talking about next year's Ashes while Kevin Pietersen believes the greatest threat facing the team this season will come from South Africa.

At this rate, England are in danger of letting future challenges distract them from the immediate task of playing New Zealand in a three-Test series which starts at Lord's on Thursday.

Yet New Zealand's hopes of catching England cold have been severely dented by an international fixture schedule which saw the two sides playing each other as recently as March.

In the first match of that series New Zealand beat England by 189 runs in Hamilton only for Vaughan's men to recover and take the series 2-1.

Since then, New Zealand have seen long-serving captain Stephen Fleming retire from international cricket. As much as they may miss his tactical acumen, they are equally likely to miss his runs.

Not once during the March series did New Zealand's openers manage a fifty partnership, putting immense pressure on the middle-order.

Their line-up at Lord's is set to feature two debutant batsmen in opener Aaron Redmond, son of one-cap wonder Rodney, and Daniel Flynn.

At least Otago batsman Redmond comes into this game in good form after a century and a fifty in New Zealand's tour match against the England Lions, the national 'A' side, last week.

Meanwhile New Zealand's cause hasn't been helped by the injury captain Daniel Vettori has sustained to his spinning finger.

Long regarded as one of the most effective left-arm slow bowlers in the world, Vettori is neverthless still set to lead a youthful side, where pace bowler Tim Southee will be appearing in only his second Test.

But the key for New Zealand is likely to be whether or not their batsmen can give their bowlers enough runs to play with.

New Zealand have dynamic middle-order batsmen in wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum and all-rounder Jacob Oram but they have not always been as effective in Test cricket as they are in one-dayers.

England are likely to be unchanged from the team that won the third Test in Hamilton by 189 runs with James Anderson set to see off the challenge to his place from fellow seamer Matthew Hoggard, recalled to the squad after being dropped from the team that lost the first Test in Napier.

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who hasn't played Test cricket for over a year, has been ruled out with a side strain.

That will mean the burden of leading the attack will once again fall on left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom, whose 24 wickets in New Zealand were a pivotal difference between the two sides.

"Sidebottom bowled beautifully in New Zealand and we will have to combat him if we are to stand any chance of even being competitive in the series," said New Zealand great Sir Richard Hadlee, the first bowler to take 400 Test wickets.

But for all New Zealand's well documented top-order problems, England's batting has often proved fallible too.

Vaughan averaged just over 20 in New Zealand and has dropped back down to No 3.

That has allowed Andrew Strauss, who revived his ailing Test career with a century in Napier,to return to the opening slot.

Back in 2004, England beat New Zealand 3-0. There wasn't much talk about the Ashes then - the hype grew as a result of England's performances.

As Peter Moores approaches his first anniversary as England coach he knows the time is nearing where his team will have to move on from the accurate assessment of their current status by New Zealand seamer Chris Martin.

"They are just a steady side and on their day they can be a very good side," said Martin. "We are in a similar vein."

Selectors face Flintoff decision

Will he, won't he? Andrew Flintoff hasn't played Test cricket for 17 months but recalling him at Lord's would be a risk...

Rarely has an England squad caused so much debate over one name - with less than 24 hours to go before the squad for the first Test against New Zealand is named, it is still almost impossible to say whether Andrew Flintoff will be recalled. His early-season form since returning from a fourth ankle operation has ranged from the utterly convincing with the ball to the utterly woeful with the bat.
Not surprisingly Flintoff has been talking himself up. "I definitely feel I could play a Test match now," he told The Sun. "I've missed a lot of international cricket in the past, so I'm itching to play for England once more." Team-mates and opponents have also been queuing up to sing his praises, including Justin Langer saying he's "the best fast bowler in the world" and could bat at No.11, to Marcus Trescothick, Paul Collingwood and his Lancashire captain Stuart Law all backing his case.
"I think that over to Collingwood was the best working-over of a world-class batsman I've seen for a long time," said Law. "Colly's a good player, but Freddie made him look almost second rate. That's just the quality of Andrew Flintoff. With the ball in his hand and the bit between his teeth, he had a point to prove. I don't think it would have mattered if it had been Ricky Ponting or Brian Lara - they would have felt the heat."
Whether Flintoff is selected or not will give an indication of his future role for England. He is adamant he remains a batsman who bowls, but no one else believes that line any more. His batting has slipped steadily since the 2006 India tour and this season's form doesn't suggest a corner is about to be turned. Three Championship ducks on the trot - including two first-ballers - have left him with precious little time in the middle.
If he is recalled for the first Test it will be his bowling form and fitness that would have swayed the decision. He would be part of a four-man attack including three quick bowlers (the others being Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad) alongside Monty Panesar and be expected to take on a major workload, perhaps more than 20 overs a day. It would be an admission from the selectors that Flintoff's batting form doesn't matter.
Some, including the likes of Langer, argue that if he's your best bowler that is the way it should be. No one was ever concerned about Glenn McGrath's lack of runs. However, the situation with Flintoff is muddied by the lengthy, ongoing nature of his ankle problems and the fact that the he was meant to be the allrounder who balances the team. He has tried three times to return from operations, the last aborted comeback ending after the World Twenty20 in South Africa. It would be a huge gamble for the selectors to throw their lot in with Flintoff as a bowler, even with one eye on next year's Ashes.
And it isn't as though there is a desperate need to rush Flintoff back to face New Zealand, although England have recent experience of coming unstuck against them. But an attack of Sidebottom, Broad and probably James Anderson should be enough to dispatch the visitors and would give the team that won the final two Tests of the previous series another chance.
Anderson is the member of that trio under threat after a profligate display in Napier. His form for Lancashire has been mixed, but nine wickets against Durham came at the right time and he has a good Test record a Lord's. Last year he claimed seven wickets against India and also bagged five on his debut in 2003.
Matthew Hoggard will come back into the frame have a solid start for Yorkshire although he still appeared to lack some zip for England Lions. The consensus is that he was unlucky to be dropped after a poor performance in Hamilton and, although there is no automatic route back for him despite 248 wickets, he would be a solid presence in the squad in case a bowler pulls up injured.
While so much attention has been paid to Flintoff's batting form, a few of the certain picks for Lord's haven't been setting the world alight. Michael Vaughan has a top score of 42, but that is a positive run-spree compared to Paul Collingwood (32 runs in five innings for Durham) and Collingwood has also caused a few concerns after needing an injection in his shoulder. A Collingwood injury would make Flintoff's recall an even greater risk because Collingwood's medium-pace would help share the workload. If batting cover is needed the choice would be between Owais Shah, forever waiting for another chance, and the in-form Ravi Bopara.
Possible England 12 Michael Vaughan (capt), Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar, James Anderson, Matthew Hoggard.