October 24 Thursday 2002
England consider Tudor call-up to Ashes squad

PERTH: England have yet to complete the first week of their Ashes tour and already they are considering calling up paceman Alex Tudor to cover injuries in the squad and hoping Michael Vaughan recovers from a knee problem.

England were forced to rest fast bowlers Darren Gough (knee) and Andrew Flintoff (hernia) and opening batsman Vaughan from Tuesday's tour-opener against an Australian Cricket Board (ACB) Chairman's XI, which the tourists lost by 58 runs in Perth.

Vaughan is expected to be one of England's key weapons in the five-Test series which starts in Brisbane on November 7. However, the Yorkshire right-hander is not yet certain to be available for the final lead-up match with Queensland.

"Vaughan has a very good chance of playing in the next three-day match with Queensland, starting in Brisbane on November 2," England coach Duncan Fletcher told a news conference in Perth on Wednesday.

"Gough is pretty positive. He has bowled on each of the last two days and there has been no reaction. He is feeling pretty bullish at this stage. We don't want to push him too soon. We'll just have to wait and see. We won't know whether he is ready for the Test unless he is ready for the Brisbane three-day game."

Tudor, 24, has taken 26 wickets at 31.50 in nine Tests. The Surrey bowler made his Test debut against Australia in Perth in 1998-99.

Fletcher was not impressed at a question about whether England should have brought so many injured players on tour for a series against the world's top-ranked side. "Should we have left them at home then?" he asked.

England next match is over two days against Western Australia in Perth.