England coach Duncan Fletcher has said he may be forced to select five bowlers in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane due to the fact that skipper Andrew Flintoff is still a fair way off match fitness.
Flintoff has bowled only five overs for England since ankle surgery in June and Fletcher is concerned that the champion all-rounder will not be able to stand up to the rigours of Test cricket for the match beginning on November 23.
"If we were confident of him getting through lots of overs we could probably look at four bowlers," Fletcher told the BBC.
"But with Flintoff not bowling many, we've got to go in with five."
If that is the case, then Fletcher will have to drop Ian Bell, Alastair Cook or Paul Collingwood from a batting line-up that is already decidedly shaky.
"That's the thing we've really got to look at in the next couple of games we play in," Fletcher said.
"I'm a strong believer, and it's been proven right before, that you have to bat in depth."
England plays three warm-up matches before the Ashes get underway. The first is a one-dayer against a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra, the next two are three-day matches against New South Wales in Sydney and South Australia in Adelaide.
"The team for the three-day game before the Test match will more than likely be the Test side," Fletcher explained.
"I won't put my head on the block that it will be but there's a very good chance."
