It was a filthy day at Headingley Carnegie yesterday. No games possible. This was just as well because another England bowler - James Anderson - developed an injury. Lord knows what might have happened had there been any practice.

Anderson came out in sympathy with Ryan Sidebottom's stiff back, although the nation's beds were not blamed in this instance. It added to the congestion on the M1, though, with Chris Tremlett and Darren Pattinson, Nottinghamshire's Grimsby-born, Melbourne-raised former roofer, asked to journey north as cover for the second Test match against South Africa.

Michael Vaughan, the England captain, was downbeat about Sidebottom's chances, saying that the bowler needs full confidence in his body to get the late, snappy swing that makes him so dangerous, but Pattinson's call-up is precautionary only. Nevertheless, with a Headingley Test looming, the decision to overlook Matthew Hoggard must signal that his international days are over. It sends a message to Stephen Harmison, too, and not a welcome one.

There were only two certainties to report. Andrew Flintoff will play and will bat at No7. Other than that, there was a good deal of confusion. Will there be four bowlers or five? Will Paul Collingwood get the chop? If not, who will? Vaughan was not telling.

Everything depends on Sidebottom. If he is fit, Flintoff is likely to play as one of five bowlers, Tim Ambrose, the wicketkeeper, will bat at No 6 and Collingwood will miss out. If Sidebottom does not play, Collingwood will be granted a stay of execution, Flintoff will play as one of four bowlers and Ambrose will bat at No 8. Collingwood's immediate future depends on Sidebottom's back and the beds at the Radisson hotel in Leeds.

Two decades ago Vaughan might have been keener on strengthening the batting. The Headingley pitch of old was a capricious thing, but now it is a place where batsmen no longer fear to tread. The numbers confirm the trend: in the 1980s there were 11 Test hundreds and 17 five-wicket hauls at this ground; since 2000 there have been 17 hundreds and only six five-fers. Taking wickets has become more difficult, which is one reason why Vaughan would dearly love Sidebottom to pass his fitness test and Flintoff to play in a five-man attack.

Graeme Smith's only worry is the fitness of Neil McKenzie, the opening batsman, who has a groin strain, but the South Africa captain gave warning that his team had to respect both facets of Flintoff's game. Vaughan was keen to put a positive spin on the decision to bat Flintoff at No 7, a decision that questions the player's assertion that he is, primarily, a batting all-rounder. “I've always thought of him as a No 7,” Vaughan said. “His attacking style of play suits that position. Given the opportunity there, he can take the game away from the opposition in that position.”

Of Flintoff's batting form, Vaughan said: “At this stage batting six would be a bit high up. At the moment his bowling is his strongest suit, but who is to say that he won't end up back at No 6? He's had 18 months out of the team - we want him back and we feel this is the best position for him at the moment. It takes a little bit of pressure off him and hopefully he can just go and express himself.”

Batting at No 7 may help to take the pressure off Flintoff, but it highlights the wicketkeeping position again, especially if Sidebottom is fit and Ambrose bats at No 6. Ambrose has not had a bad start to his Test career, but the runs have dried up and there were signs in the one-day series against New Zealand that the pressure was beginning to tell. If England are looking for their wicketkeeper to bat No 6 in the medium term, Matt Prior will be watching Ambrose's performance with more than a passing interest.

Vaughan will be walking out to toss up for the 50th time in Tests. By any measure he is one of England's finest captains and, while he described his achievement as a “great honour”, he was quick to pay tribute to his good fortune and the contribution of his team-mates.

It was Richie Benaud who said that captaincy was “90 per cent luck and 10 per cent skill”. The coda - “but don't try it without the 10 per cent” - is often forgotten. Vaughan may be lucky, but he is as canny as they come, something confirmed yesterday when he said that he had managed to avoid facing Flintoff in the nets at Lord's and Headingley. No fool he.

How they line up
England (from): M P Vaughan (captain), A J Strauss, A N Cook, K P Pietersen, I R Bell, P D Collingwood, A Flintoff, T R Ambrose, S C J Broad, C T Tremlett, R J Sidebottom, M S Panesar, J M Anderson, D J Pattinson.
South Africa (from): G C Smith (captain), N D McKenzie, J P Duminy, H M Amla, J H Kallis, A G Prince, A B de Villiers, M V Boucher, M Morkel, P L Harris, R J Peterson, D W Steyn, M Ntini, A Nel, M Zondeki.
Umpires: D J Harper (Australia) and B F Bowden (New Zealand). Third umpire: R A Kettleborough. Match referee: J J Crowe (New Zealand).
Television: Live coverage on Sky Sports 1 from 10.30am (Test starts at 11am).
Weather: 16C (61F); light showers with sunny intervals and a mild southwesterly wind.

Headingley by the numbers
2 The number of times since 1993 that the team losing the toss have won a Test at Headingley. During this period, teams winning the toss have won nine times, including each of the past five matches.
3 Successive Test-match wins for England at Headingley, since losing to South Africa in 2003.
4 Consecutive Test ducks for Andrew Flintoff at Headingley. He scored his first run there in his fifth innings but has since scored three fifties, including two against South Africa in 2003.
9 Test matches in succession that have produced a decisive result there. The most recent draw was in 1996, when England played Pakistan.
38.75 Flintoff's bowling average at Headingley. In four Tests, he has taken only eight wickets, with a best of two for 55.
125.67 Kevin Pietersen's Test batting average at Headingley. In three innings, he has scored two hundreds, including a double-century.
Source: Cricinfo.com

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