Wright ushered in for one-day climax
Flintoff's ankle has struggled to withstand his pace bowling duties
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Monday, 03, Sep 2007 10:03
England coach Peter Moores has called on Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright to fill in for the final two one-day meetings against India.
The uncapped 22-year-old has appeared for the England Lions, even touring India with the second-string, and will attempt to cover for injured duo Ravi Bopara and Andrew Flintoff.
While Bopara sustained a dislocated thumb in Sunday's loss at Headingley, Flintoff missed the match entirely after a recurrence of his ankle complaint.
Both players are due to be reassessed later this week, but Flintoff's continuing problems with the joint, which he first required surgery on after the 2005 Ashes victory, is the more concerning for England's long-term prospects.
Moores is confident that despite being only three months into his comeback from his last bout of operations, the 29-year-old Lancashire star's latest complaint is not a serious setback.
"The people I have spoken to so far are still pretty optimistic he may be OK on Wednesday," he said.
Wright, whose big-hitting saw him finish as top-scorer in this season's Twenty20 Cup, will also offer a steady right-arm seam option to his coach.
The sixth one-day clash of the series begins at the Oval on Wednesday with England needing a win to convert their 3-2 lead into a win and make the final encounter at Lord's a dead rubber.