England call for Harmison

Durham paceman Steve Harmison is standing by to replace Andrew Flintoff should he fail to shake off a knee injury

England today announced a 14-man squad for the second npower Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s starting on Thursday.

Durham pace bowler Steve Harmison has been added to the 13-man squad named for the first npower Test at Cardiff which ended in a draw yesterday.

ECB national selector Geoff Miller said: “It required a tremendous effort to save the first npower Test match and no praise can be high enough for the fighting qualities shown by Paul Collingwood together with our lower-order batsmen.

“Their application at the crease and determination to get the job done was first-rate.

“We are well aware, however, that we did not perform well in Cardiff over the five days and will need to improve in all areas of our game if we are to overcome what is a strong Australian side.

“We have added Stephen Harmison to our squad for the next Test match as Andrew Flintoff injured his right knee at Cardiff and will undergo a precautionary scan later today.

“Andrew is experiencing soreness and swelling in the knee which he twisted while in the field and he will be reassessed by the medical staff over the next 48 hours leading up to the Test match on Thursday.

“In the event of Andrew being unfit, we see Stephen as a like-for-like replacement in terms of the type of bowler he is and his ability to unsettle the opposition batsmen with pace and bounce.

“But we will need to consider all our options carefully when we come to determine the make-up of our bowling attack at Lord’s and the final decision will depend on our assessment of the pitch and the likely overhead conditions.”