England v Australia: Preview

Date released: 15 July 2009

With two days to go we countdown to the the Ashes Test at Lord's with a great story each day for ten days. Today: our big match preview.

Tickets

Please note all tickets for this match are sold out. There will be no ticket sales on the day throughout all five days of the match.

Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council enforement officers will be at Lord's to ensure no ticket touting may take place.

If you do not have a ticket, please do not travel to Lord's.

Instead why not follow the match live on Lords.org from the comfort of your office desk or home computer?

Injury concerns

Both sides arrive at Lord's with worries over key, experienced players.

Nervous wait: Will Flintoff be fit? England's Andrew Flintoff's litany of injuries continue. After a series of ankle operations the iconic all-rounder twisted his right knee - the same knee he injured whilst in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Brett Lee is Australia's main injury concern. The quick bowler missed the first Test in Cardiff with a rib injury and is a serious doubt for the Lord's Test.

Lee and Mitchell Johnson in training at Lord's Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting aside, Lee is Australia's most Ashes-experienced player. Without Lee Australia also have only three players whom have played at Lord's before.

Ponting, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke are the three - with the rest of the team appearing at the Home of Cricket for the first time.

Spin or seam?

Both sides will also have a familiar selection dilemma: spin or seam?

England went into the first Test of the Series with two spinners: Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. It is widely expected that Panesar will make way for what is seen as a seam-friendly wicket at Lord's.

Anderson revels at Lord's However, of the last eight bowlers to appear on the Lord's Honours Boards three of them are spinners; five seamers.

One of the three spinners is Monty Panesar - Daniel Vettori and RP Singh are the others.

England seamer James Anderson's place in the England side seems assured and the Lancashire quick bowler fares well at 'HQ'. Anderson's name is on the Lord's Honours Boards, for taking five wickets in an innings, twice.

Flashback: Harmison in the 2005 Ashes Steve Harmison, recalled to the squad as cover for the potentially injured Flintoff, is also on the Boards. His 5-43 against Australia in 2005 was seen as an iconic moment in England's eventual Series win - despite England losing that Test.

Australia's seamers will take encouragement from Ashes legend Glenn McGrath, whose name appears on the Honours Board in the visiting dressing room three times. McGrath's 8-38 in 1997 is still the record for a visiting bowler at Lord's.

Batting power

If England stick with the same batting line-up as the Cardiff Test - six of their top order will also see their names on the Honours Board:

Andrew Strauss (three times), Alastair Cook (twice), Ravi Bopara (once), Kevin Pietersen (three times), Paul Collingwood (twice) and Matt Prior (once).

Bell scored 199 on his last outing at Lord's Ian Bell, also tipped for a recall if Flintoff fails a fitness test, will also see his name on the Boards three times - including 199 against South Africa last year.

Despite all you may read about Australia's positive record at Lord's - there has not been an Australian centurion here since Mark Waugh in 2001.

There has only been one other, Matthew Elliot, in the past 15 years - since Mark Taylor, Michael Slater and David Boon each notched 100s in 1993.

Weather-watch

Despite the weeks of sunshine building up to the Test the forecast is not entirely promising in NW8.

Friday looks likely to be the most rain affected but as ever, the famous Lord's drainage and equally famous ground staff will do their utmost to wring every minute of Test cricket from the pitch.

Onions will be hoping for a recall to the side The moisture in the air and pitch may influence for choice of bowlers. Australia's Stuart Clark is pushing for a recall and England's Graham Onions will be hoping for a place after he took five wickets in his last Test here.

Whatever the teams selected it is sure to be a hotly contested affair. If you're not one of the lucky ones with a ticket be sure to follow it live on Lords.org.