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Giles wins England Test spot
Last updated at 10:38am on 22.11.06
Digital age: Ashley Giles gets his injured finger checked by physio Kirk Russell
England were last night preparing to take a massive Ashes gamble by dropping Monty Panesar in favour of Ashley Giles, who played his last first class match a year ago.
Panesar has become the emerging star of English cricket by taking 32 wickets in 10 Tests with his left-arm spin.
But, barring a late change of heart or injury, the tourists are set to go with the 33-year-old Warwickshire spinner in the crucial first Test here, starting at midnight tonight.
Giles has not played a full firstclass match since the Test against Pakistan that ended on November 24 last year, but Ian Bell severely bruised his left wrist in the nets yesterday after taking a blow from James Anderson and while England were optimistic he would play, that tilted the balance in favour of Giles filling the problem No 8 position, even though he was overlooked for the final warm-up game.
Skipper Andrew Flintoff said yesterday: "There are pros and cons but one thing, with Ian Bell hurting his wrist, is looking at the batting down the order and maybe strengthening it."
Australia have their own problems with Shane Watson ruled out with hamstring trouble, leaving them only four frontline bowlers. It means both sides will bear a striking similarity to those who fought out the Ashes in the English summer of 2005.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting will not revive his idea of fielders acting honestly when claiming low catches rather than referring them to the third umpire.
Flintoff is not interested in the concept and Ponting will not bring it up at the pre-series referee's meeting, as he did before the last Ashes. While both captains said they expected high levels of sportsmanship, Flintoff said: "There are times when players aren't sure about a catch."
Reader views (1)
This is negative and nothing short of a surrender. The batters score runs and the bowlers take wickets, giles does neither. To even consider dropping monty is ridiculous. Ashley Giles scoring an extra ten runs will mean next to nothing when the aussie batsmen are murdering his bowling. The wicket is unhelpful to spinners, wasn't that said of headingly where monty caused high class pakistani opposition all kinds of problems? Monty will have the aussies respect, something giles never had and probably never will have. He is the most negative boring bowler in world cricket. This would be a laughable situation if it wasn't so bloody important!
- James, Harrow, England
