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| |  Monday, 26 August, 2002, 12:34 GMT 13:34 UK Flintoff to miss decider  India celebrate as the final wicket falls England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is set to miss the series decider against India at The Oval. Following England's defeat by an innings and 46 runs in the third Test at Headingley, skipper Nasser Hussain confirmed Flintoff was unlikely to be considered for selection for the final match. Flintoff needs surgery to repair a hernia and the gamble on his fitness backfired as he managed only a single wicket as India piled up 628-8 declared and then registered a pair with the bat. "It's unlikely Andrew will be fit for The Oval. He's got to have an operation before the Ashes series, so there's a position up for grabs," Hussain commented. The England and Wales Cricket Board later confirmed that Flintoff could undergo surgery on Friday and he would then be out of action for four to six weeks. The make-up of England's team for the decider will be crucial and Yorkshire's Craig White would be an obvious candidate to replace Flintoff, providing he recovers from a side strain in time. Outplayed Dominic Cork will also come into contention, although his inclusion at number seven would weaken the batting line-up.
Hussain acknowledged England had been beaten by a better side and would have to raise their game if they were to win at The Oval and complete a summer double, having already beaten Sri Lanka 2-0. "We've been thoroughly outplayed from the first morning. All credit to the Indians, they handled the conditions a lot better than we did," Hussain said. "Everyone has been writing about the bowling but they technically batted much better than us, their catching was better and we bowled the wrong length." He added: "We've lost one Test match - it's not the end of the world, but what will be the end of the world is if we don't put it right for the next match." One possible boost for England could be the return of opening batsman Marcus Trescothick at The Oval. The left-hander's broken thumb is healing quicker than expected and if he can bat without undue discomfort, he would be likely to displace Robert Key at the top of the order. "We've played some good cricket at The Oval and we've just got to get back to winning ways," said Hussain. | |
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