| Player: | MP Vaughan, AF Giles, A Flintoff, ME Trescothick |
Injured England captain Michael Vaughan said selecting players not yet fit for the Ashes Tour later this year was the right thing to do.
Andrew Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick and Ashley Giles were named for the tour, with the first match in Canberra on November 10, although they were not completely fit when the squad was announced.
Vaughan, recovering from a knee operation after missing the entire season, fully supported the decision to select players such as Flintoff, Trescothick and Giles.
I spoke to the selectors quite regularly about the squad and it was one of the easiest Ashes touring parties you could possibly pick, said Vaughan. There werent really any tough decisions and the selectors would not have taken any risks on fitness. They must be very, very confident because they would not take risks for such a big series, and although people will always have their views as to whether certain players should be included, the squad is right in my opinion.
Vaughan also believes England have a great chance of retaining the Ashes. It won't be easy, but I think we've got one hell of a good chance. Australia will be at home, so they will have a little bit of a head start, but I don't think any of our players will be fazed by that.