Vaughan and Giles face results

Michael Vaughan is awaiting the verdict © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan and Ashley Giles face crucial meetings over the next few days to decide if they need further operations on long-standing injury problems.

England captain Vaughan will discover on Monday if the latest setback in his recovery from a knee problem will result in surgery at a summit with medical experts from Yorkshire and England.

But England are also anxious about the prospects for left-arm spinner Giles, who is due to fly to America in the next few days to seek further advice after being advised he needs an operation on his hip problems.

Those meetings could have key consequences for England’s plans for this winter’s Ashes series, where they are already expected to be without Simon Jones as he recovers from his latest knee operation.

“All of our injured players are world class and it’s going to be a big concern if they don’t come back and play this season,” said coach Duncan Fletcher.

“I’ve adopted an attitude that if they do come back it will be a huge bonus. That’s why we’ve got to go with these young, other players to try to get them ready for later on in the winter.”

Vaughan’s meeting will be of particular interest to Fletcher. England’s coach had hoped Vaughan, who was unable to field for two days of Yorkshire’s Liverpool Victoria Championship defeat by Sussex at Arundel, would be able to return for this week’s final two fixtures of the NatWest Series against Sri Lanka.

But the stiffness he experienced recently has opened up the prospect of further surgery and Fletcher said: “They’re going to have this meeting to re-assess the situation and see where they’re going to take it from there.

“It’s a concern. We thought he was coming back and there was a period when we thought it wouldn’t be long before he was back.

“But after this injury they are going to have to re-assess it and we can make a decision from there.”

Neither Vaughan nor Giles, who were ever-present in last summer’s triumph over Australia, have featured for England since the series defeat in Pakistan before Christmas.

They have missed the drawn series in India and the drawn home series against Sri Lanka at the start of this summer and, depending on the results of this week’s meetings, could be a doubt for this winter’s Ashes series.

At least Fletcher has received some good news with key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who has been told to rest his injured ankle, being given rave reports about his progress.

“He’s lost quite a lot of weight and he’s working hard in the gym so there’s been some good reports of him,” explained Fletcher, who is hoping he may have his talisman back for the opening Test against Pakistan at Lord’s on July 13.