England Squad without Andrew Flintoff

 

England has declared their squad for the first test alongside South Africa that will be held on 10 July 2008 at Lords, Andrew Flintoff is not in there because of his ankle injury. This is long times all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is out of international cricket tournament. Selection committee has decided to keep out him because Test match is a long time games. He could back to the squad form the second Test or ODI squad. After a few hours Lord’s will be full of thousand of Cricket fans to watch England vs. South Africa fist Test match. It is a big pressure for host, other hand; South Africa is in confidence to play a excellent cricket during the tour.

"There's always pressure on you in international sport, you've got to be able to live with that," England's captain, Michael Vaughan, said yesterday. "Andrew Flintoff is an exceptional circumstance, in that we want him back in the England team. We'll have to decide how to get him back in the team once he's become available and got enough cricket behind him."

South Africa will want to take advantage of Flintoff's absence by scoring more quickly, in order to give their pace attack of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel as long as possible to work their mischief. Yet it is a tactic that could play into England's hands if the ball moves around on a pitch that has been under covers for 36 hours.

It is clear that South Africa will the opportunity of the all-rounders absence. South Africa has some destructive bowlers like Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel. South Africa also kept PL Harris and an attacking spinner. The Squads that has been declared for first Test is;

England: *MP Vaughan (Yorkshire), AN Cook (Essex), AJ Strauss (Middlesex), KP Pietersen (Hampshire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), PD Collingwood (Durham), †TR Ambrose (Warwickshire), RJ Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), SC Broad (Nottinghamshire), JM Anderson (Lancashire), MS Panesar (Northamptonshire).

South africa (from): *GC Smith, N?D McKenzie, HM Amla, JH Kallis, AG Prince, AB de Villiers, †MV Boucher, PL Harris, M Morkel, M Ntini, DW Steyn, A Nel.