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Hoggard not sure to start
MATTHEW Hoggard has welcomed
his return to England's
squad for next week's opening
Test - but has admitted he still
has a battle to make the starting
line-up against New Zealand at
Lord's.
The 31-year-old Yorkshire
seamer was dropped alongside
Steve Harmison for the final two
Tests in New Zealand and was
forced to watch from the sidelines
as a young attack comprising
Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson
helped England to
successive victories.
His form at county level at the
start of the season, however, has
persuaded the selectors to include
him in a 12-man squad for
next week, although he accepts
his next big challenge is persuading
the selectors to change
a winning line-up.
Durham's Paul Collingwood
was also named despite being
troubled by neck and shoulder
problems.
There's a long way to go but
obviously I'm very happy about
being included but the 11 who
played in the last Test in New
Zealand finished with two winning
Tests so I need to keep
knocking on the door because
they're in the driving seat at the
moment,'' admitted Hoggard.
I was hoping to get back into
the squad because I thought I'd
done enough to get back in and
make sure I stayed in - if I hadn't
been in the squad I'd have
thought that could have been the
end of me.''
Hoggard needs just five wickets
to overhaul Brian Statham's
haul of 252 victims to move into
fifth place in England's all-time
list of England Test wicket-takers.
But unless there is a dramatic
change of heart from captain
Michael Vaughan and the selectors,
Hoggard is likely to miss
out regardless of his previous
record.
I'm quite capable of starting
at Lord's if you look at my
record, but they are the men in
possession at the moment,'' he
conceded.
Jimmy's bowling really well,
he's just got a five-for against
Durham, and the other lads I
played against at Headingley
and they're bowling well.''
He admitted he is desperate''
to win his England place back
after 67 previous Test appearances,
but is prepared to knuckle
down and work even harder if
he fails to make the starting lineup.
There are two ways to react
to it, you either accept it, roll
over and die or you fight for your
place - I didn't feel like rolling
over and dying so I've been fighting
for my place,'' he stressed.
I worked hard in New
Zealand and I've been working
hard since I've been back in England
and hopefully I've put in
the right amount of work and
had the right attitude to show
them that I still want to play for
England.''
England: MP Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), AN
Cook (Essex), AJ Strauss (Middlesex), KP
Pietersen (Hampshire), IR Bell (Warwickshire),
PD Collingwood (Durham), TR Ambrose (Warwickshire,
wkt), SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire),
RJ Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), MS Panesar
(Northamptonshire), JM Anderson (Lancashire),
MJ Hoggard (Yorkshire).
9:44am Monday 12th May 2008
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