The selectors knew that Flintoff’s involvement with the ball would be minimal yet opted for the

The selectors knew that Flintoff’s involvement with the ball would be minimal yet opted for the less consistent of the two. Jones did not bowl particularly well but thanks to Ashley Giles’s efforts this gamble did not prove costly.Flintoff is expected to bowl more overs this week and playing Jones would be less of a risk It makes sense to persevere with him. Flintoff offers Vaughan reassuring cover and England can afford to accommodate a wild-card bowler, in the hope that his hostility may produce a special delivery if things go flat.When Anderson was grabbing the headlines he appeared to be blessed with a golden arm – the ability to take wickets with bad balls – but this seems to have deserted him, and the selectors must now weigh up the pitch and overhead conditions before making a final decision.If the pitch is hard and rough – like paving slabs – then Jones’s ability to reverse-swing a scuffed-up old ball gains him an advantage. But if the pitch is grassy and the weather humid, Anderson, a conventional swing bowler, enters the fray. Yet the conditions here lie somewhere in between.”It will be a difficult decision,” admitted Vaughan. “Simon came to Lord’s a little bit rusty but he had a couple of good spells in the game. But traditionally it is orthodox swing which plays a more important part at Edgbaston and this brings Jimmy more into the fold.

This creates headaches but having these options, the sort we have not had for a long time, is a good situation to be in.”Whoever plays may not enjoy the pitch that has been prepared for this match. It is dry and already cracking, which encouraged the Warwickshire groundsman, Steve Rouse, to keep it covered for most of yesterday afternoon. This may lead to uneven bounce from the fourth day, which makes it unlikely that Lara will again invite England to bat should he win the toss.Vaughan, after centuries in each innings at Lord’s, was naturally upbeat about his team’s chances and his own form. “I think it is going to be another hard week for the bowlers,” he said after inspecting the pitch. “The outfield looks very fast and the rate of scoring could be similar to Lord’s.

It will be an exciting game for everyone to watch and good for the batters.”Jimmy’s cricket England since Anderson2003MayEngland beat Zimbabwe, first Test at Lord’s; Anderson 5-73 and 0-65 on his Test debut.JuneEngland beat Zimbabwe, second Test at Chester-le-Street; Anderson 2-30 and 4-55.JulyEngland draw with South Africa, first Test at Edgbaston; Anderson 0-92 and 1-37.England lose to South Africa, second Test at Lord’s; Anderson 2-90.AugustEngland beat South Africa, third Test at Trent Bridge; Anderson 5-102 and 2-17.England lose to South Africa, fourth Test at Headingley. The Bank of England’s chief beancounter does not seem unduly worried about this “debt time bomb”. In other words, on paper there may not be much difference between Kerry and Bush but if you allow for swings in confidence a Kerry presidency might be rather less stable.The graphs come from a study by the economics team at ABN Amro. The view there is that in the medium term a narrowing of the current account deficit will require a weaker dollar, tighter US policy and slower growth. “This,” the bank points out, “would have profound implications for Europe and Japan.”Not ‘arf, it would The rest of us would see export demand weakening. Europe and Japan would have to find ways of boosting domestic demand to take up the slack, something that they have not been very good at in recent years. The claims related to a period between 1988 and 1995.In 1999, after the three companies were cleared of criminal activity, they were hit by a $1.4bn civil lawsuit from their customers, US food and beverage manufacturers.Cargill agreed this year to settle the civil suit for $24m and then ADM paid out $400m.