Andrew Flintoff's fitness for the fourth Ashes Test was still in doubt on Thursday after the England all-rounder struggled with the ball in a net session. “He bowled this morning and it didn't look like he was quite 100 percent,” captain Andrew Strauss said at a news conference ahead of the match, which starts on Friday. “We will sit down with the medical staff and with Fred (Flintoff) this afternoon and discuss the situation.” Flintoff, retiring from Test cricket after the Ashes series against Australia, will not be given the final say on whether he is fit enough to play, Strauss said. “We will take the player's opinion on board because he knows his own body but ultimately it is a decision for myself and the coach,” the captain said. Flintoff's bowling inspired England to victory in the second Test at Lord's and although he did not take a wicket in the drawn third match at Edgbaston and looked to be struggling with his knee injury, he top-scored for the hosts with 74. “When you are a captain of a team you are motivated to do what is right for the team,” Strauss said. “The last thing he wants to do is to play and then not be able to play a full part in the game.” Strauss said England, 1-0 up in the series, would not be adopting a defensive approach. “We have two Tests to go and we have to win one of them,” he said. “We are not talking about drawing them at all and that is quite a liberating feeling. “It's hard not to be motivated, focused and pretty excited about this test match. We've shown so far this series we can match this Australian team and beat them.” England has several options if Flintoff is unfit. The uncapped Jonathan Trott could be given a debut to stiffen the batting while either one of pace bowlers Stephen Harmison or Ryan Sidebottom could be recalled in a five-man attack. Asked whether England was leaning towards six batsmen or four bowlers if Flintoff was ruled out, Strauss said: “I'm not prepared to say at this stage.” Pressed on whether England could bowl Australia out twice with just four bowlers, Strauss replied: “If they bowl very well.” ‘Australia has momentum' Australia has the momentum going into the fourth Ashes Test of a fluctuating series, their captain Ricky Ponting said on Thursday. “The momentum has swung throughout the series and the way we batted in the second innings at Edgbaston has left a really positive feeling around our group,” Ponting told a news conference on Thursday. “This is a massive game for all of us. Expect us to come out and play well.” Ponting said Australia still had a few minor injury concerns, including in-form batsman Michael Clarke who did not train on Wednesday due to a stomach injury. “Knowing the sort of bloke he is I wouldn't read too much into that,” Ponting said. Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin missed the last Test with a finger injury but Ponting said he might be fit to play at Headingley. “It was good to see Brad with the gloves on again and he had a good hit-out with the bat as well,” Ponting said. “We'll have another look at him this afternoon.” Ponting said seamers Stuart Clark and Brett Lee would come into consideration to freshen up the touring side's attack.
