McGrath passed fit for Oval showdown

Glenn McGrath has been passed fit for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, starting tomorrow, after recovering from the elbow injury that forced his withdrawal from the side that lost at Trent Bridge last month.

Trailing 2-1 in the series, Australia were desperate to give McGrath, 35, enough time to get back to full health, and the man himself had said he wanted to play "even if his arm falls off". But he had first to must pass a fitness test on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of Australia's most important match for a decade.

McGrath delivered two spells in the nets on Tuesday, in which he performed well enough to be picked if his elbow showed no more bad signs, and speaking to the press at The Oval on Wednesday morning, Ricky Ponting declared: "he's looking more and more likely to play." That was confirmed after a further work-out in the afternoon, and McGrath will now take his place at the expense of Michael Kasprowicz, in the only change to Australia's line-up.

Earlier, Ponting had stressed how importance McGrath was to the Australian team, adding that his combination of incisiveness and frugality made it almost like having two bowlers in one. "He's always missed any time he misses a game," said Ponting. "He's probably our main strike bowler with the new ball and at the same time you can call on him, through the course of the day, to bowl some tight overs as well.

"He's a vital player in our side, someone who's done exceptionally well for us over the years, especially in big games and that's what this one is building up to be." But Ponting stressed that Australia would not go into the game with a less than fully fit McGrath. "I wouldn't take him at 60 or 70 percent, no way. We can't afford to do that in a game like this. With the situation of the series we'll probably have to be a little bit more cautious."

If McGrath had not been passed fit, Australia had been expected to gamble on a five-pronged package that could include Stuart Clark and Stuart MacGill, at the expense of a batsman. "Certainly it is an option," Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, said in The Courier-Mail. "We've got to get 20 wickets to win the game. It hasn't worked for us in the past."