It's Bulawayo or bust for Gough

The selection meeting must have been like one of those playground games - "I'll swap you a Flintoff and a Tresco for a Vaughan." So now we know: as hinted at heavily in several of this morning's newspapers Andrew Flintoff and Marcus Trescothick won't be going to Zimbabwe, but Michael Vaughan and Ashley Giles are.

Giles was given the option of a longer rest, but decided to go anyway, possibly on the WC Fields principle of never giving a sucker an even break - if a stand-in had ripped through the inexperienced Zimbabwean line-up it would have been hard to ignore him afterwards ... shades of the now-dumped Anthony McGrath, who turned in impressive figures against Zimbabwe at home in 2000, and predictably duff ones against South Africa immediately afterwards.

All in all it's a serviceable team, that should roll over the weakened Zimbabwe side. The most interesting tourist is Darren Gough, who was widely written off after some ordinary performances in the Champions Trophy. Almost everyone at The Oval on Saturday felt as if they were witnessing Gough's Last Farewell, as he failed to capitalise on a dodgy pitch and even dodgier light. Behind Steve Harmison, though, England's express-bowling cupboard is pretty bare, with Alex Tudor and Steve Kirby - the Men Most Likely To a couple of years ago, it seemed - both looking for new employers. With Harmison absent from Zimbabwe on grounds of conscience, Gough has another chance to lead the line. But unless he can rekindle the flame (and the reverse-swing) it will be Bulawayo or bust.

Kevin Pietersen has long been earmarked as a man to watch. He's been pitched in at the first possible opportunity, in an obvious parallel with Graeme Hick back in 1991. How Hick would have loved to make his debut overseas, away from the glare and the hype, against an under-powered team which is not so much rebuilding as replacing the foundations. Instead he had to deal with all the expectation, and the last great West Indian bowling attack. Pietersen, another solidly massive presence at the crease, will prefer life in the medium-fast lane facing Messrs Hondo and Panyangara rather than Marshall, Ambrose and Walsh.

The ECB reiterated its distaste for the situation in Zimbabwe, and stressed that the team wouldn't be attending any official functions there. No repeat, then, of the 1996-97 photo-opportunities when Mike Atherton shook hands with a beaming Robert Mugabe. The team management may want to check out any dark shady corners, though, since you never know who you might find there - as Jack Straw, Britain's Foreign Secretary, found out in New York yesterday when he found himself shaking hands with Mugabe himself.

England squad to tour Zimbabwe
Michael Vaughan (capt), Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Geraint Jones (wk), Gareth Batty, Ashley Giles, Simon Jones, Alex Wharf, Darren Gough, James Anderson.

England one-day squad for South Africa
Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wk), Gareth Batty, Kabir Ali, Ashley Giles, Alex Wharf, Darren Gough, Steve Harmison, James Anderson.