Flintoff likely to miss second Test

England's hopes of having Andrew Flintoff back in the team for the second Test, against Zimbabwe at Durham, have been dealt a blow with news that he could be out of action for a further two weeks.

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, would have faced a tough decision whether to play a fit Flintoff instead of Anthony McGrath - one of the heroes from Lord's - but it's a call he would have welcomed: "If he comes through any time earlier than that then it's a great advantage to us."

However, Flintoff - who continues treatment for his injured shoulder at Lancashire - was in a positive mood: "If the injury keeps improving like it has done then hopefully I won't be out for too long." He added, "I have not ruled myself out of anything yet and I will keep with the treatment and see how it progresses."

And he insisted he could be back earlier than diagnosed: "It is really hard to put a time-span on when I am going to return but it has improved tremendously. I have got a lot more movement in my shoulder than I did have so that is very positive."

McGrath will undergo a scan on Tuesday (May 27) on his strained side but is expected to be fit ahead of the naming of England's one-day squad. Meanwhile, the England selectors will be keeping their eye on the progress of Darren Gough - another player feeling his was back from injury. Gough, who said he hoped to play in the second Test on June 5, played in Yorkshire's National League game against Glamorgan at the weekend. He bowled six overs at 32 runs, and didn't take any wickets, as Yorkshire went down by four wickets.