Cricket: Flintoff has op as England wait on injuries.

Byline: By Myles Hodgson

INJURIES will restrict England's options when the selectors meet up to discuss the squad for next week's third npower Test against West Indies at Old Trafford.

But unlike other selection discussions they have had this summer, injuries have eased rather than complicated their thoughts.

England had hoped to have both key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and seamer Matthew Hoggard back in contention for next week's Test, but both have suffered untimely setbacks in their fitness battles.

Flintoff, ruled out of the first two Tests with more trouble with his left ankle, had hoped to feature for Lancashire against Sussex at Hove but broke down again and yesterday underwent surgery on his troublesome left ankle.

The all-rounder had tissue removed from the joint in an operation which the England and Wales Cricket Board medical team described as "routine".

The ECB are refusing to put a timescale, however, on the anticipated length of Flintoff's recovery period.

Yorkshire seamer Hoggard was more hopeful of recovering from the thigh injury which restricted him to only 10.1 overs in the drawn opening Test at Lord's and sidelined him completely for last week's emphatic triumph at Headingley.

At least England received some good news this week with Warwickshire's Ian Bell, forced off the field for long periods during the Headingley Test with a stiff back, having recovered to keep his place in the squad.

Bell was intending to test his back injury playing for Warwickshire against Worcestershire at New Road and Owais Shah may be put on standby for the squad just in case Bell suffers any recurrence of his injury.

Shah failed in both innings during the opening Test at Lord's - when three other players scored centuries - but is regarded as the next in line should Bell not be fit.

Ryan Sidebottom will again retain his place in the squad following his spectacular comeback to Test cricket at Headingley, where he claimed eight wickets on his first appearance in six years.

Perhaps the only selection dilemma for England is which seam bowler to use alongside Sidebottom and Steve Harmison with Liam Plunkett and James Anderson competing for the final place.

Possible England squad: MP Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), AN Cook (Essex), AJ Strauss (Middlesex), IR Bell (Warwickshire), KP Pietersen (Hampshire), PD Collingwood (Durham), MJ Prior (Sussex, wkt), LE Plunkett (Durham), SJ Harmison (Durham), RJ Sidebottom (Notts), MS Panesar (Northants), JM Anderson (Lancashire).