England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff's hopes of featuring in the remainder of the Ashes series are still alive after being given the all-clear following a scan today.
The Lancashire vice-captain was sent for an MRI scan today, his second this week, to determine whether he had sustained any soft tissue damage after struggling during a 20-minute bowling spell at the Bellerive Oval in preparation for tomorrow's three-day game against Australia A.
He bowled at nothing like full pace, prompting England's management to send him to a local hospital for a further scan only four days after his last check as he continues his recovery from an August hernia operation.
But the scan has come back clear and he was named in a 12-man squad for tomorrow's game knowing that if he fails to make the starting XI, he is unlikely to be considered for the back-to-back Tests at Adelaide and Perth which follow.
Delighted coach Duncan Fletcher said: "Andrew had an MRI scan on his injured groin this afternoon which was clear and he's available for selection. We'll decide on our final XI in the morning after we've had a look at the pitch."
Flintoff's chances of playing now seem to hinge on whether he can play through the discomfort he clearly feels when bowling, although physio Kirk Russell is confident he can.
Flintoff has not played since featuring in the three-day match against Queensland prior to the first Test, after which he felt stiffness following his first competitive outing in two months.
"It probably aggravated a little bit after the Queensland game and it took him a while to settle down after that," explained Russell. "We were happy for him to play in that game and we went for that, but he probably bowled a few more overs than we wanted.
"The surgeon always said it was going to be painful to play through and he realises that and he's confident he can still play through the discomfort.
"To be honest I don't know why he's still feeling discomfort and the surgeon said that as well."
Should England decide Flintoff is not worth the risk in this game, his place will be taken by Craig White, one of only five members of the losing first Test line-up named in tomorrow's squad.
Alec Stewart sits out this encounter despite suffering the first pair of his first-class career at the Gabba to give James Foster a run out, while Alex Tudor, Steve Harmison and Chris Silverwood face a three-way fight to determine who will replace the injured Simon Jones at the Adelaide Oval on November 21.
England squad to face Australia A: ME Trescothick (Somerset, capt), MP Vaughan (Yorkshire), MA Butcher (Surrey), RWT Key (Kent), JP Crawley (Hampshire), C White (Yorkshire), A Flintoff (Lancashire), AJ Tudor (Surrey), RKJ Dawson (Yorkshire), JS Foster (Essex, wkt), SJ Harmison (Durham), CEW Silverwood (Yorkshire).
Australia, meanwhile, will continue to monitor the questionable fitness of fast bowler Jason Gillespie after he was included in an unchanged squad for the second Test against England in Adelaide next week.
Gillespie was sidelined by the calf injury for a month and struggled throughout the first Test.
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