Thorpe struggling for Ashes Test
Graham Thorpe's chances of playing in next Thursday's first Ashes Test have suffered another serious setback.
Thorpe is still struggling with the calf injury that he sustained three weeks ago and his hopes of making a comeback during Surrey's championship match against Lancashire at The Oval, starting tomorrow, have been dashed.
Key batsman Thorpe has tried acupuncture as well as more routine treat-ment to sort out the problem. But he saw a specialist today in a last attempt to regain fitness before the series with Australia begins.
England will give the left-hander every chance to recover in time and would not worry too much about sending him out to face Glenn McGrath and Co without any recent match practice.
But, clearly, Thorpe has to be fit and the selectors are sure to identify a standby when they pick their squad tomorrow night.
Mark Ramprakash, Thorpe's Surrey team-mate, is an obvious candidate.
