Sports Talk: Should Tudor be in?

It means that both teams will be missing their premier bowling weapons, with Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan out because of a shoulder injury.

Gough has a knee problem and has not played any cricket since the end of the one-day series in New Zealand in February.

The Yorkshireman said: "It will be so tough for me having to take a back seat. It's sickening not to be able to play but there's no way I would be able to bowl at Test level.

"It's just come too soon for me. If missing out on the first Test at Lord's means I can be fit for the long season ahead, I suppose it will be worthwhile - but it still hurts."

Gough returned to action last week - "performing at around 70%" - with the Yorkshire second XI and conceded he was still nowhere near to his best.

He added: "If I bowled flat out at the moment the pain would be unbearable.

"Obviously, I hope to be back for the second Test against Sri Lanka but it's a long summer with lots of big games coming up.

"All I can do is keep plugging away and keep my fingers crossed."

England will probably use Andy Caddick and Matthew Hoggard to open the bowling at Lord's, but Alex Tudor now seems to have a strong case for a recall.

Tudor went on the England Academy tour to Adelaide during the winter having bowled one brilliant five-wicket spell against Australia in the Trnet Bridge Test last year.

England's seam bowling attack at Lord's will be completed by the vastly-improved all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.