Flintoff: Not risked for Lord's

There have been a number of players pushing for selection in recent weeks which is extremely pleasing but consistency in selection and consistency in performance has led us to maintain the same squad for the first npower Test against South Africa

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England v South Africa
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England's selectors have resisted the temptation to bring back Andrew Flintoff for the first Test against South Africa, naming an unchanged squad from the series win over New Zealand.

The Lancashire all-rounder has recently returned to action following a side strain that ruled him out of both Test and one-day action against the Black Caps.

However, the selectors are keen not to rush the 30-year-old back too quickly, particularly after he underwent a fourth ankle operation during the winter.

With Flintoff deemed not quite ready to make his first Test appearance in 18 months, England look set to become the first country to name an unchanged line-up for six consecutive Tests.

No cover

Despite captain Michael Vaughan requiring treatment for a stiff right knee earlier in the week, there is no batting cover included, meaning Chris Tremlett is once again the man likely to miss out at Lord's.

"The England Test side has won four of its past five matches and most recently the Test series against New Zealand so we feel there's no need to change a winning formula," national selector Geoff Miller said.

"There have been a number of players pushing for selection in recent weeks which is extremely pleasing but consistency in selection and consistency in performance has led us to maintain the same squad for the first npower Test against South Africa."

Miller admitted that the decision to leave out Flintoff was taken so he could continue his return to full fitness playing for his county.

Credit

"Andrew Flintoff has worked extremely hard to be back playing some very good cricket for Lancashire which is a credit to his determination and patience," he added.

"The selectors are keen to see Andrew get more overs under his belt and spend some more time in the middle before recalling him to the Test side.

"We're all eager to see him back playing for England but there's nothing to be gained from rushing him back until he has proved he's ready to meet the demands of Test cricket.

"There is a lot of cricket on the horizon and we want Andrew to be a part of that without jeopardising his fitness."

The first Test against the Proteas at the start of a four-match series, which is all live on Sky Sports, gets underway on Thursday, July 10.

England squad for first Test against South Africa:
Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire) (capt), Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire)