Caddick replaces White in England Test squad

England have recalled Andrew Caddick for the third npower Test against India at Headingley. Caddick, who has been among the wickets for Somerset after recovering from the side strain he suffered in the third Test against Sri Lanka, replaces the injured Craig White in an otherwise unchanged England squad.

Alex Tudor, who was released from the squad for the second Test, has also been taking wickets for Surrey and is retained along with Durham's Steve Harmison and Derbyshire's Dominic Cork in a squad of 13.

The final selection will be influenced by the fitness of Andrew Flintoff, who is included in the squad but will undergo a fitness test before the game. Flintoff has been told by a specialist that he needs a hernia operation to get over the groin injury from which he has been suffering since the NatWest series earlier in the summer.

England's chairman of selectors, David Graveney, said: "Andrew Flintoff is a key player for us and we will have to see how he is after practice next week. We very much hope that he will be able to play but we do have other options available and we are not intending to add to this squad at the present stage.

"It's not a risk to play him according to what we've been told by our medical experts and Freddie's keen to stay involved. The player obviously has to be comfortable about playing and I'm sure Nasser will look after his workload and be sensible about it. The selection of the side will be based around that.

"We'll look at his condition at the end of the Test and take it on a match-by-match basis, but he's probably taken on being the talisman of the side from Darren Gough and he is a difficult man to replace.

"Although it is disappointing to lose Craig White, there will still be plenty of competition for places for this Test Match as Andrew Caddick and Alex Tudor are both now back from injury and have been bowling well for their counties.

"Simon Jones has still not fully recovered from the side injury he suffered at Lord's, but he is improving and we anticipate that he will play a four-day game for Glamorgan this week if his recovery goes to plan."

Should Flintoff not be fit, White's absence will be felt all the more keenly, as he would have been the logical replacement at number seven in the batting line-up. Of the bowlers in the squad Tudor is the most likely to bat there, having scored 99 for England against New Zealand back in 1999.

Flintoff and the Headingley pitch will be the key factors as England look to finalise their team next week.

"Although we have talked to counties who have played at Headingley this summer, we don't yet have an inkling as to what sort of surface has been prepared for this Test Match," Graveney said. "We will have to assess the wicket next week and think about what impact it will have on our selection."

England squad: N Hussain (Essex, capt) Age: 34 Tests: 73; MP Vaughan (Yorkshire) 27, 21; RWT Key (Kent) 23, 1; MA Butcher (Surrey) 29, 45; JP Crawley (Hampshire) 30, 32; AJ Stewart (Surrey, wkt) 39, 120; A Flintoff (Lancashire) 24, 20; DG Cork (Derbyshire) 31, 36; AR Caddick (Somerset) 33, 55; MJ Hoggard (Yorkshire) 25, 13; SJ Harmison (Durham) 23, 1; AF Giles (Warwickshire) 29, 16; AJ Tudor (Surrey) 24, 7.