Collingwood and Hoggard in England squad as Miller sticks to winning formula

Four years ago, England defeated New Zealand 3-0 at home to maintain the momentum which was to carry them to their Holy Grail a year later. The series which begins at Lord's on Thursday against a much weaker Kiwi team must be viewed in the same context.

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It is all very well to concentrate on the opposition in front of them but so inconsistent and erratic have England been since that glorious Ashes-winning day at The Oval in 2005 that they need to view the first series of this summer as a stepping stone towards greater glories.

England will evolve over the next year, as the Ashes winners did throughout 2004 - and Andrew Flintoff must return fully fit if the Australians are to be banished.

But the bulk of the team is in place and needs to regain that winning habit in a 12-month period which will contain much tougher propositions than three matches against the weakest Black Caps squad to tour England in modern times.

Miller and his new selection panel may well have been saved from making a monumental mistake by the withdrawal of Flintoff with a side injury, because the ramifications of him breaking down on the first morning of Lord's do not bear thinking about.

Blessed with that massive stroke of luck - and I understand Flintoff would definitely have played at Lord's had he not pulled up on Friday - England have done what they should always have planned to do and named the side which won the last two Tests in New Zealand in March.

Matthew Hoggard gets the nod in preference to Chris Tremlett as the extra seamer in the squad but Jimmy Anderson will surely be given the chance ahead of him and can finally earn a proper run in the side. He has enjoyed some of the best moments of his career at Lord's.

Anderson can be maddeningly inconsistent but it is important for England to maintain the continuity of selection under Miller and coach Peter Moores that was a feature of the best days of Duncan Fletcher's reign.

And as Anderson has just taken nine wickets in the match for Lancashire against Durham, it would have been extremely harsh if he had given way to Flintoff, as was planned, in a four-man attack.

If Miller was palpably wrong to have considered Flintoff before the all-rounder had proved he was again capable of bowling long spells of sustained hostility, then he has made a welcome introduction in announcing the same squad for the first two Tests, at Lord's and Old Trafford.

He said: "My view is that if the players are good enough for the first Test then I can't understand why they won't be a week later. Picking the same squad for two Tests, particularly as they are back to back, demonstrates the loyalty and continuity we want to show."

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There remains a question over Paul Collingwood, whose right shoulder is a cause for concern. England resisted the temptation to name an additional batsman in a 13-man squad but Ravi Bopara is the most likely replacement for Collingwood should his third cortisone injection in the joint since he first damaged it last September not prove sufficient.

Michael Vaughan will return to No 3 in the batting order in an attempt to arrest his worrying decline and his fortunes this summer will be even more important than Flintoff's. The last thing England need if they are to win the Ashes is to be under pressure to replace the captain before next summer.

Recalled Hoggard back with a whimper

Matthew Hoggard went wicketless on the day he was recalled to the England squad as New Zealand cruised to a draw against the Lions at the Rose Bowl.

Hoggard, who was outbowled in the first innings by Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions, delivered only six tame overs second time around as the tourists settled for batting practice ahead of Thursday's first Test rather than chase the target of 368 off 75 overs set by Lions captain Robert Key.

Adil Rashid was the only member of the England second string attack who was able to make inroads on the last day, taking three wickets with his leg-spin, including the out of touch Ross Taylor, as the tourists closed on 201 for four.

Aaron Redmond, who made a century in the Black Caps' first innings, added 64 to cement his place at Lord's, while Jamie How, captaining New Zealand in the absence of the injured Daniel Vettori, top scored with 74.

Vettori is expected to recover from a badly cut finger to lead his team at Lord's. Earlier, Michael Carberry, who had collapsed with severe cramp celebrating a century on Saturday, overcame the embarrassment to resume his innings yesterday.

He added another eight runs to the hundred which will have enhanced his claims for full international recognition.

England's 12-man squad for the first npower Test against New Zealand at Lord's, beginning on Thursday:

MP Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), AN Cook (Essex), AJ Strauss (Middlesex), KP Pietersen (Hampshire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), PD Collingwood (Durham), TR Ambrose (Warwickshire, wkt), SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire), RJ Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), MS Panesar (Northamptonshire), JM Anderson (Lancashire), MJ Hoggard (Yorkshire).