England wait on Flintoff and Bopara

Updated 10.42 Mon Sep 03 2007

Keywords: Ravi Bopara, Andrew Flintoff, England

England are waiting on the fitness of all-rounders Andrew Flintoff and Ravi Bopara as they move down to London for the NatWest Series finale.

Sunday's 38-run defeat by India under the Duckworth-Lewis method at Headingley came at a cost, with both players facing an anxious 48 hours to determine whether they will be fit for Wednesday's next encounter at the Oval.

Medical staff remain hopeful Flintoff will have recovered sufficiently to train with the rest of the squad on Tuesday

Medical staff remain hopeful Flintoff, who was ruled out of Sunday's match after suffering discomfort in his left ankle, will have recovered sufficiently to train with the rest of the squad on Tuesday.

Bopara is also hopeful of making the practice session after dislocating his right thumb.

With England due to depart for the ICC World Twenty20 Championships in South Africa on Sunday, both players are racing against time to prove their fitness or face being replaced.

Captain Paul Collingwood said: "It's a quick turnaround after the one-day series but they will both be gauged in the next couple of days and hopefully they are not as bad as they may seem at the moment."

He added: "Obviously, the medical staff will assess them over the next couple of days and then make a decision. Ravi is in a little bit of pain but these things tend to be sore for 24 hours and we will assess it again."