Tufnell wins Test recall

Phil Tufnell has won a recall to the England squad for the Fifth npower Test at The AMP Oval.

CricInfo diarist Tufnell is expected to battle it out with Robert Croft for the role of spinner at The Oval, but the Middlesex man's 11-wicket haul in the last Ashes Test at The Oval will put him in pole position for a place in the starting XI.

"Phil's record at the Oval has obviously been taken into account, but it is not the only reason," chairman of selectors David Graveney explained. "He's also an outstanding left-arm spinner and his track record this season reflects that."

With Mullally omitted after sustaining a side strain at Headingley, and Alex Tudor a doubt with a rib injury, Leicestershire's Jimmy Ormond wins a first call-up. Somerset's Richard Johnson is retained.

Neither Graham Thorpe nor Michael Vaughan have been recalled, with the selectors needing more assurances about their match fitness.

"The longer players go between playing, the harder it is to select them so we decided not to look at either Graham or Michael," Graveney revealed.

Both Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart (who revealed in his CricInfo diary that he hopes to continue playing for another couple of years) have been retained despite speculation about their future.

"I've always said right from the outset that we would pick the strongest possible teams for these two Test matches," Graveney said. "I've had conversations with them both and we're due to select our touring parties for the winter over the next few days and by the time we've had those meetings we will know what the two individuals want to do."

Full squad: Michael Atherton, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain (capt), Mark Ramprakash, Usman Afzaal, Alec Stewart (wkt), Alex Tudor, Andrew Caddick, Darren Gough, James Ormond, Richard Johnson, Robert Croft, Phil Tufnell