Paul Collingwood's injury niggles have left England's selectors with an anxious wait ahead of the first npower Test squad announcement on Sunday morning.
Collingwood is suffering from a lower back problem less than a week before the Lord's contest against New Zealand and was due to have an injection in an ongoing right shoulder injury on Friday evening.
Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose is also troubled wit
h a stiff neck and received treatment rather than take the field for Warwickshire on Friday.
But England one-day captain Collingwood will provide a headache for a new-look panel headed by Geoff Miller.
"Paul has received treatment for stiffness in his lower back and a sore right shoulder," said an England and Wales Cricket Board spokesperson. "He will continue to receive treatment and be reassessed over the next 48 hours."
Collingwood, 31, would be an integral part of any plans to field Andrew Flintoff in a four-man attack in the series opener.
Although Flintoff is deemed fully fit following a fourth ankle operation, England would not want to bowl him into the ground and Collingwood could supplement the attack with half-a-dozen to 10 overs a day.
England are likely to select all-rounder Flintoff for his form with the ball as he bids to play his first Test since the final 2006-07 Ashes defeat.
Flintoff has looked smooth from the off in his latest comeback and his early-season menace was rewarded with seven wickets in the defeat of Collingwood's Durham at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old has mustered only 68 runs in seven innings for Lancashire this summer, however, twice falling for nought in his latest outing.
Copyright PA Sport 2008, All Rights Reserved
The full article contains 297 words and appears in Press Association newspaper.
