England given little respite
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There will be no respite for England's battered players after New South Wales announced a full-strength team for the day-night limited overs match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
It was meant to be a warm-up for the forthcoming one-day triangular series involving England, Sri Lanka and Australia but the English batsmen will face their chief tormentor, Glenn McGrath, and the Waugh twins, Steve and Mark.
Lancashire's Andrew Flintoff provided the perfect response to criticism of his professionalism with a spirited return just as Darren Gough championed his cause by blaming England's management for Flintoff's failure to recover fully from a summer hernia operation.
No sooner had news arrived that Lord MacLaurin, the outgoing chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, had claimed that Flintoff "was doing things in his recuperation that he probably shouldn't have" the Lancashire all-rounder hit 98 off 66 balls in a game between members of England's one-day squad and the Academy before bowling 10 overs.
Gough believes England were wrong to play an unfit Flintoff in the third Test against India at Headingley this summer knowing he needed an operation and that Flintoff was rushed into action too soon on the Ashes tour when he was asked to prove his fitness in the final warm-up game before the first Test only to be later ruled out.
"I was disgusted with what Lord MacLaurin said because Andy Flintoff is fitter now than he's ever been in his whole career. He trains hard every day. He had the surgery pretty late because yet again he was doing things to please England. He had the operation probably two or three weeks later than he should have, and it can take longer to recover from than you think."
NEW SOUTH WALES (v England, Sydney, Friday): S R Waugh (capt), C J Richards, M E Waugh, M G Bevan, M J Clarke, S M Katich, B J Haddin, B Lee, S C G MacGill, N W Bracken, G D McGrath. 12th man: D J Thornely.
* Wasim Akram has opted out of Pakistan's two-Test series against South Africa starting later this month.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments