Steve Waugh has stoked the traditional Australia-England rivalry for the second Test by claiming the tourists only have themselves to blame for the catalogue of injuries which have hit their Ashes preparations.

The Australian captain usually stays away from commenting about the opposition's problems, preferring to concentrate on his own side and their pursuit of increasingly high standards of performance.

But after left-arm spinner Ashley Giles became the latest England player to fly home after fracturing his left wrist batting in the nets on Tuesday, Waugh claimed that some of the tourists' problems were of their own making.

''They've picked some guys that weren't fit so I guess in some ways they've made their own bed,'' he said.

''It's unfortunate if a guy breaks his wrist during training, that's just one of those things, but if you pick players that aren't fit at the start of the tour then you're taking a gamble.''

Waugh's comments are bound to hit home to an England squad who have already indicated their displeasure at some of the medical advice they were given prior to their departure, which persuaded them to include fast bowler Darren Gough and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in their tour squad.

Despite optimistic predictions, Gough failed to play a single match before admitting defeat in his battle against long-standing knee trouble, while Flintoff is still to recover full fitness after a summer hernia operation.

As if those injuries were not enough of a disruption, England have also lost emerging fast bowler Simon Jones for at least six months after he sustained cruciate ligament damage in his right knee during the first Test.

England's problems are in stark contrast to Australia, whose only problem has been the calf injury troubling Jason Gillespie, which still did not prevent him contributing to the 384-run first Test victory in Brisbane.

''Players have go to be very close to 100 per cent in our team or they don't play'' explained Waugh. ''Guys have been pulled out of matches even for minor niggles to make sure they are right long term.

''It's been a bit of a change in policy because in the past it was more up to the player whether he wanted to play or not but now our physio has more of a say in what's going on.''

Giles, who is expected to be out for up to six weeks, set off home yesterday admitting he would have found it difficult to continue his recovery with the squad without a growing feeling of frustration at being unable to be more involved.

''It's hard to take the fact I won't be playing in the Test but I think it would be even harder if I stayed out in Australia because I wouldn't be part of the action,'' he explained.

''I can stand around and watch the lads net, I can run or I can ride a bike in the gym, but that's about it. I can do most of those things at home but I think I would only make myself down if I was around these guys and wasn't able to do what they can do.''

Meanwhile, Yorkshire's Michael Vaughan insists England are capable of battling their way back into the Ashes series in the second Test in Adelaide.

''We are up against it but we are trying hard and we hope we can turn it around in this game,'' said opening batsman Vaughan, who claims there were encouraging signs for England even in the crushing first-Test defeat in Brisbane.

''We had a little bit of nerves on the first day at Brisbane,'' he admitted.

''But a real positive is that on the second day we dominated Australia for the whole day - not too many teams do that.

''We got ourselves right back in the game, so we must take some confidence from the fact we had them on the rack on that second day.''

England fulfilled everyone's predictions by losing at the Gabba but Vaughan is able to put a positive spin on that mauling.

''In a funny way the result in Brisbane has relaxed everyone,'' he said.

''They were far and away the favourites but with them winning the game there the pressure has been taken off a little bit.