England captain Andrew Strauss says the ongoing absence of star players Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff cannot be used as an excuse for his side's poor One-Day International (ODI) form. Top-order batsman Pietersen (Achilles) and all-rounder Flintoff (knee) are currently recovering from operations. Pietersen is not expected back until November's Test tour of his native South Africa at the earliest. Meanwhile Flintoff, contemplating whether to sign a second-tier England incremental contract or go freelance, is off to Dubai for warm-weather training and is not set for international duty until the New Year. England, in their absence, is currently 4-0 down in its seven-match ODI series against Australia, whose six-wicket win at Lord's Saturday ensured the world champion would end a tour that saw the Ashes lost with a trophy. “It is always hard to be without your two best players but that's the reality we are in, it is not going to be changing for a while so other people have to stand up,” said Strauss, who will be without both ‘KP' and ‘Fred' for the upcoming Champions Trophy one-day tournament in South Africa. “Hopefully when they do return we have got more potential match-winners. “In a good, functioning one-day team you have got match-winners everywhere,” the opener, whose second successive 63 could not prevent defeat at his Middlesex home ground Saturday, said. “The top six have all got to be capable of getting One-Day International hundreds. And hundreds generally win you games. “We are all capable of doing that but we haven't done it. Until someone does do it we are always going to find things a little bit difficult.” The Champions Trophy is just over a week away and Strauss is desperate for his batsmen in particular to show some form, starting with Tuesday's fifth ODI at Trent Bridge where England, whose limited overs cricket has been labelled “very ordinary” by coach Andy Flower, will try to stave off a whitewash. “The batsmen at some stage will come right - I have a lot of confidence in the batsmen we have got - hopefully sooner rather than later,” Strauss said. “In one-day cricket hundreds are the difference between getting a total which is very hard to chase and one that's attainable. We haven't done that as well as we should have done.” Wright doubtful Luke Wright became the latest England cricketer to sustain an unusual injury after a ball from a bowling machine struck his toe and left him doubtful for Tuesday's ODI.
