November 12 Tuesday 2002
England hope Flintoff will be fit for Australia A game

BRISBANE: England received some rare good news from the medical rooms on Monday as all-rounder Andrew Flintoff indicated he may be fit for the three-day tour match against Australia A starting in Hobart on Friday. 

The Lancashire paceman, who had a hernia operation earlier this year, was overlooked for last week's first Test in Brisbane but England hope he will play this week in a bid to press selection claims for the second Test starting in Adelaide on November 21. 

"This afternoon we had the results back from the scan on his groin following the hernia operation he had at the back end of the summer," England spokesman Andrew Walpole said on Monday. 

"The scan is clear and we're optimistic that Flintoff will be available for selection for the Australia A game." 

England have already sent fast bowler Darren Gough home because of an ongoing knee complaint and Glamorgan paceman Simon Jones suffered a knee injury in last week's first Test which has also ruled him out of the five-match Ashes series. 

Surrey's Alex Tudor and Yorkshire's Chris Silverwood have been called up as replacements. England crashed to a 384 run defeat in the opening Ashes Test, which ended inside four days on Sunday.