Paul Collingwood has three good reasons for wanting to battle through the pain barrier this week - Andrew Flintoff, Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright.

England's one-day captain will continue to have treatment today on a right shoulder problem that has troubled him, on and off, for more than six months but will be desperate to prove his fitness for Thursday's First Test against New Zealand at Lord's.

Collingwood has looked vulnerable since the selectors started easing him down the batting order, from four to five last year and then, for three meetings with the Kiwis in March, to No6.

That means Collingwood, who has played 29 consecutive Tests but is without a century in his last nine, occupies the place Flintoff would most like to reclaim this summer, provided he can come back quickly from his latest injury (sore side) and start scoring some runs.

More immediately, though, if Collingwood fails to recover to face New Zealand this week then England are likely to turn to either Bopara or Wright.

Like Collingwood, the youngsters consider themselves batsmen first and foremost. But, also like him, they work hard at their right-arm seam bowling and Wright, especially, is regarded as having real potential with the ball.

"It is too early to say at this stage whether Paul will definitely play," said chief selector Geoff Miller, who has named a squad of 12 for Lord's and next week's Second Test at Old Trafford. "Should he not be fit we have options available. We have one or two players who are knocking very hard."

SQUAD: Strauss, Cook, Vaughan (Capt), Pietersen, Bell, Collingwood, Ambrose, Broad, Sidebottom, Panesar, Anderson, Hoggard.

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