Vaughan likely to drop to No. 4

There were no surprises as England named their squad for the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley, which starts next Thursday. As expected, Andrew Strauss has retained his place following the retirement of Nasser Hussain, while Michael Vaughan returns as captain after recovering from a knee injury.

Strauss announced himself in Test cricket with a stunning debut, scoring 112 and 83 as England won by seven wickets. Hussain's emotional farewell at Lord's has now ensured that Strauss will be given a run in the side, but where he will bat is another matter.

With Vaughan fit to return after twisting his knee in the nets days before the first Test, the selectors will have to decide who will open the batting. Strauss and Marcus Trescothick put on 190 in the first innings at Lord's, and it is likely that Vaughan will move down from his usual opening spot to fill Hussain's old position at No. 4.

However, David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, told BBC Sport that the final decision will be with the captain and the coach: "We as selectors have given our view, but it is down to Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher to decide."

Graveney added that the team may miss Hussain's streetfighting qualities, but that there would have been some tricky decisions to be made if he had still been available for selection. "If you want a scrap you need Nasser Hussain," he said. "He has introduced a level of passion in playing for England that was perhaps missing in the past. It would have been an interesting selection meeting if [Hussain] had still been available. It's the first time in a while lots of players have been knocking on the door and that poses some good problems for the selectors."

One of those players was Robert Key, the Kent batsman, who has made a roaring start to the season, scoring five first-class hundreds and 893 runs. Key, though, will have to wait longer to add to his eight Tests.

In the bowling department, the only question is whether England play Ashley Giles, the specialist spinner, or replace him with Paul Collingwood or James Anderson.

England haven't won a Test at Headingley since Mark Butcher's heroic 173 not out helped to conquer the Australians in 2001, and Graveney insisted they were taking nothing for granted. "Our win in the first Test was an outstanding team effort and we will need to maintain the same level of performance at Headingley - a ground where we have under-performed in the last two years," he said. "New Zealand are tough opponents and should not be underestimated. The last time they toured they went on to win the series 2-1 and I am sure they will come back hard at Headingley."

England Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wk), Ashley Giles, James Anderson, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, Simon Jones.