England set to field debutant

Either Mal Loye or Ravi Bopara will debut for England today filling the space left by the injured Michael Vaughan, as England seek to extend its winning streak to two, in Brisbane.

Loye, 34, is a big hitting top order batsman who plays for Lancashire. He is the current favourite to make his debut with the support of newly reinstated skipper Andrew Flintoff.

“Mal is a definite option for us, he opens the batting for Lancashire where he has been successful,” he said.

Bopara, 21, is a young middle order batsman who plays for Essex. He was rushed into the squad after Kevin Pietersen was flown home with a broken rib.

Australia have rested captain Ricky Ponting, with Brad Hodge replacing him. Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist will take over duties for the match with Michael Hussey his deputy.

Senior bowlers Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath are also returning from minor injuries with Stuart Clark and Ben Hilfenhaus making way for them.

Australia: Adam Gilchrist (captain) Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Cameron White, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath

England (from): Andrew Flintoff (captain) Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Ed Joyce, Jamie Dalrymple, Paul Nixon, Chris Read, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Chris Read, Mal Loye, Ravi Bopara