India lose Zaheer to injury for second Test, England wait on Tremlett

India bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of Friday's second Test against England because of a hamstring injury.

The 32-year-old left-arm pace bowler picked up the injury during the first Test at Lord's last week.

England have concerns over Chris Tremlett, who pulled up with back and hamstring trouble on Thursday, for the match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

"We expect him to be fit but obviously we'll see in the morning," said England captain Andrew Strauss.

To add to their options, England called up Middlesex pace bowler Steven Finn on Thursday evening, and the 22-year-old will be in competition with Tim Bresnan for the final place in the side should Tremlett be ruled out.

And Finn's added pace and bounce - like Tremlett he is 6ft 7in and seven inches taller than Bresnan - could see him selected if a change is required and the selectors want more of a like-for-like replacement.

Tremlett, who took four wickets in England's 196-run win over India in the first Test and took Test best figures of 6-48 against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer, appeared to be carrying a hamstring injury as he bowled during the tourists' second innings at Lord's.

He had already missed training on Wednesday with a tight hamstring and only netted briefly at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

But Strauss, speaking earlier in the day, added: "I think he's fine, obviously he's had a bit of a niggle with his hamstring.

"At the moment we expect him to be fit but obviously like all these things we'll see in the morning - we're confident he should be OK.

"You've always got to weigh these things in, it's a short turn-around between Test matches but we're not going to pick someone in the side unless we're sure he is 100% fit and able to get through the full five days."

While England wait on Tremlett, India will definitely be without Zaheer. The left-armer Zaheer impressed initially at Lord's with an excellent new-ball spell which saw him dismiss both England openers, Strauss and Alastair Cook, before pulling up clutching his hamstring in his 14th over.

Analysis

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Jonathan Agnew,
BBC cricket correspondent

Tremlett has yet to be formally ruled out of the game, but given he was unable to bowl a full stint in the nets it seems far too great a risk for England to take

India captain Mahendra Dhoni said: "It's always good to have Zaheer in the side because he is our most experienced bowler, especially when it comes to England, but I think he is ruled out of this game.

"It's a bit disappointing not to have him for selection but it is something that is beyond our control and it gives a chance to the other bowlers to prove their mettle when it comes to international cricket."

Despite missing out at Trent Bridge, Dhoni is confident that Zaheer will be fit enough to play in the third Test, starting at Edgbaston on 10 August.

"We are expecting that. It is something we can't be 100% sure about, but most likely it seems he will," Dhoni added.

With Zaheer out, India are likely to choose between back-up bowlers Sreesanth and Munaf Patel.

New India coach Duncan Fletcher showed a clear preference for pace during his time in charge of England, suggesting the brisker - but more unpredictable - Sreesanth could get the nod.

India also have injury problems among their batting line-up, with Dhoni telling reporters that opener Gautam Gambhir is "doubtful at this stage" as he recovers from a badly bruised elbow.

England (from): Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

India (from): Mahendra Dhoni (capt, wk), Abhinav Mukund, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pkn) and Marais Erasmus (SA)

Third umpire: Billy Bowden (NZ)

Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)