Temptation resisted. Andrew Flintoff's decent showing against Sussex at Hove this week, when he bowled with pace and accuracy and scored a half-century in Lancashire's second innings, was not enough to persuade the England selectors that he is worthy of an immediate recall for the first Test against South Africa, starting at Lord's on Thursday. Not a hundred yards from where the touring team were practising on the Nursery Ground, Geoff Miller emphasised the value of consistency in selection after announcing the same squad that beat New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

Being the biggest name in English cricket, everyone has an opinion about Flintoff. It must be wearing until he considers the alternative, which is the sporting wasteland that is anonymity. Chris Adams and Stuart Law, opposing captains at Hove this week, were of one mind, that Flintoff should return immediately. On the other hand, Dave Roberts, Flintoff's physiotherapist, who knows his body best, believes that he needs to get more miles into his legs and become match-hardened before he is selected again.

Medical common sense took priority yesterday over an understandable desire to strengthen England in the short term. “Andrew Flintoff has worked extremely hard to be back playing some very good cricket for Lancashire, which is a credit to his determination and patience,” Miller, the national selector, said. "The selectors are keen to see him get more overs under his belt and spend some time in the middle before recalling him to the Test side. We're all eager to see him back playing for England, but there's nothing to be gained from rushing him back until he's proved he's ready to meet the demands of Test cricket. There's a lot of cricket on the horizon and we want Andrew to be a part of that without jeopardising his fitness.”

When asked about the possibility of playing Flintoff at No6 as part of a five-man attack, Miller demurred, saying that Flintoff's present batting form did not warrant it. Given, then, that Flintoff would play as one of only four bowlers, it seems sensible to allow him another four-day game for Lancashire, rather than subject him to the rigours of back-to-back Test matches.

One who will have to prove his fitness is Michael Vaughan, who spent much of Yorkshire's last Championship game with an ice-pack on his troublesome knee. Miller described the England captain as a certain starter after suffering nothing more than “niggles and twinges”. Independent observers at the game believe that things were a little more serious and there is inevitably a sense of paranoia about a player with such a busy medical history.

Vaughan is one member of a top six that will again come under scrutiny. There is a fine line between consistency and cosiness, and Miller was forced once more to defend his batsmen. “It is not a cosy club,” he said. “There are people knocking on the door and everyone has got to perform.” Owais Shah, knuckles red-raw from constant knocking, must wait a little longer.

Miller also took the opportunity to announce the 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September, which must be reduced to a final 15 names on August 11. The relevance of such a bloated squad is in the clues it gives to the selectors' thinking for the future. For some seasoned cricketers, such as Robert Key, who may have thought that their time had gone, for young shavers, such as Samit Patel, and for one almost unknown called Darren Pattinson, a former roof-tiler born in Grimsby but raised in Melbourne, county nets will feel a slighter better place this morning.

One capped player who might have feared that he would never play for England again is Simon Jones and he will be delighted to have cleared the first hurdle on the long road back to international recognition.

Miller, who said that the selectors had monitored him carefully over the past few weeks, described Jones as “fighting fit” and no forlorn hope of playing Test cricket again this summer. Suddenly, with Flintoff on the verge of a recall, and Jones, Sajid Mahmood and Stephen Harmison in the wickets for their counties, England's fast-bowling cupboard looks well stocked. Competition for places should ensure England's continued success at Test level just as much as consistency of selection.

England squads

First Test v South Africa at Lord's, July 10 to 14

M P Vaughan (Yorkshire, captain), A N Cook (Essex), A J Strauss (Middlesex), K P Pietersen (Hampshire), I R Bell (Warwickshire), P D Collingwood (Durham), T R Ambrose (Warwickshire), S C J Broad (Nottinghamshire), R J Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), M S Panesar (Northamptonshire), J M Anderson (Lancashire), C T Tremlett (Hampshire).

Provisional squad for ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, September

T R Ambrose, J M Anderson, I R Bell, R S Bopara (Essex), T T Bresnan (Yorkshire), S C J Broad, M A Carberry (Hampshire), P D Collingwood, A N Cook, A Flintoff (Lancashire), S P Jones (Worcestershire), E C Joyce (Middlesex), R W T Key (Kent), S I Mahmood (Lancashire), A D Mascarenhas (Hampshire), P Mustard (Durham), G Onions (Durham), M S Panesar, S R Patel (Nottinghamshire), D J Pattinson (Nottinghamshire), K P Pietersen, L E Plunkett (Durham), M J Prior (Sussex), O A Shah (Middlesex), R J Sidebottom, A J Strauss, G P Swann (Nottinghamshire), J C Tredwell (Kent), C T Tremlett, L J Wright (Sussex).

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