England vs Australia 3rd Test at Edgbaston - Preview

Edgbaston: England go into the third Test at Edgbaston without their leading batsman but confident their talisman will be fit to face an Australian side desperate to level the series.

Andrew Flintoff's hostile fast bowling inspired England to a thrilling 115-run victory at Lord's but the loss of Kevin Pietersen through injury has dented the hosts' hopes of winning back the Ashes.

Flintoff, retiring from Test cricket after the series, has been resting the creaking body he hopes will carry him through three more matches and captain Andrew Strauss knows he must handle his leading bowler carefully.

Australia were leading the 2005 Ashes series 1-0 heading into the Edgbaston Test when leading fast bowler Glenn McGrath twisted his ankle just before the start of the first day's play and England went on to secure a dramatic two-run victory.

Ian Bell, who has played 46 Tests, will replace Pietersen and the 27-year-old has a golden opportunity to re-establish himself in the England middle-order.

Bell has a modest record against Australia but the touring side's vice-captain Michael Clarke said they were not expecting England to be weakened.

"Kevin Pietersen is a fantastic player but so is Ian Bell," Clarke said. "It is important that we focus on Ian now and we will be watching him a lot and working out how we are going to get him out."

Clarke also said his team mates were prepared for some more "stick" from Flintoff.

Australia will still be without Brett Lee, their most experienced fast bowler, and are likely to keep faith with Mitchell Johnson despite his ineffective performances in the first two Tests.

Team news

England will most likely resist the temptation to call in Steve Harmison, who played a leading role in the only first class win recorded at Edgbaston this year, and stick with their attack from Lord's. Bell's inclusion for the injured Pietersen should be the only change. Monty Panesar has been deemed surplus to needs in Birmingham and released back to Northamptonshire.

Squad (probable): Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions.

Australians are considering shoe-horning the dependable and precise Stuart Clark into the starting XI, but exactly which bowler - if any - will make way remains uncertain. The heavy weather will presumably not assist Nathan Hauritz's chance of playing - despite being the equal-leading wicket-taker in the series - and Peter Siddle might also find himself in the firing line. Still, the odds of Australia naming an unchanged line-up is firming.

Squad (probable): Ricky Ponting (c), Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus, North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Pitch and conditions
Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston groundsman, is among the many who believe a result will be difficult to achieve over the next five days. Heavy rain drenched the West Midlands on Wednesday, and is expected to continue for several days yet. When play does commence, Rouse is expecting another low, slow surface which should suit England's batsmen down to the sodden ground.

Stats and trivia

• Only four wins have been achieved at Edgbaston from the last 20 first class matches played there. Durham is the only team to have won a match at the ground this year, and did so on the back of Graham Onions and Steve Harmison taking a combined 16 wickets.
• Results are more common in Test matches at Edgbaston. Of the last 17 Tests played at the ground, only three have been draws.
• Australia's record at Edgbaston stands at three wins, five losses and four draws, making this one of their least favourite grounds in England. By contrast, England have won won 22 and lost eight of their 43 games - their best Test record at any ground in the country.
• Ponting needs 25 runs to overtake Allan Border's Australian record of 11,174 Test runs

Match facts
Thursday, July 30 - Monday August 03, 2009
Start time 11.00 local (10.00 GMT)

Highlights of the match