The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Medical mystery leaves England in distress

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Monday, Jul 24, 2006

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Medical mystery leaves England in distress

Ted Corbett

LONDON: As England announced its team for the second Test on Sunday morning there were two long-term concerns. One: will Andrew Flintoff recover from surgery to his ankle in time for the Ashes series. Two: what has gone wrong with the medical services at Lord's that England now has so many elite players with major injuries.

Flintoff was hurt in the third Test against Sri Lanka, which finished on June 6. He was told to rest and not only did he take it easy but by the time he tried out his ankle with Lancashire he had lost a stone.

He claimed he felt strong and had — sensibly since all work and no play makes for a dull boy, and we would not want that in our hero, would we? — also visited the World Cup, Wimbledon and a racecourse or two; always with the former England physio Dave Roberts in tow.

For two Twenty20 matches he played without incident. He bowled 17 overs for Lancashire against Kent in a championship match last week, knocked out Rob Key's off stump first ball and, if his batting was nothing special, there were plenty of signs that Big Freddie was back.

Graveney confident

Then, in the second innings, he bowled two overs and was clearly in distress. He did not appear after lunch on the final day and later there was an announcement that he would have a medical test on Saturday.

After that examination — at "a secret location" — ECB said Flintoff was to have an operation this week. It would take him 12 weeks to recover.

"I'm confident he will be fit for the first Ashes Test," said David Graveney, chairman of the selectors. "Initially two specialists advised against an operation and it is a last resort. We will not be able to make further plans until that has been done," he added.

What remains unexplained is how England could go through the Ashes series with only 12 players in five matches and is now without many of those award-winning heroes.

Conveniently, that 12-week mark takes us right to a month before the first Test but there must be doubts about whether he can make it.

Race against time

You may remember that when Simon Jones had an operation a couple of months ago it was forecast by the ECB doctors that he would also be fit around the time of that same Test. Too neat in my opinion; so are Ashley Giles's assertions that although he is still on crutches he can be fit in time.

Is it just positive thinking? Let's hope so. Let us also keep our fingers crossed for Liam Plunkett, doubtful with a side strain even though Durham, his county team, asked him to bowl very few overs this weekend.

The selectors have given coach Duncan Fletcher plenty of options. They have made Andrew Strauss captain for the series, brought in James Dalrymple as an extra spinner, recalled Jon Lewis and Sajid Mahmood, the Lancashire fast bowler for his first game on his home ground.

Not since the disasters of the late 1980s when coach Mickey Stewart called Alan Igglesden of Kent "17th choice on my list" have England had so many casualties. He made that remark in late August; there is still a week left in July as England struggles to put together a convincing team.

I hope the ECB will hold an inquiry into the way so many players have been injured in the last eight months.

The squad:

Andrew Strauss (capt.), Marcus Trescothick, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Geraint Jones, James Dalrymple, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar.

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