Michael Vaughan at Headingley on Thursday. (AFP)

Leeds: England will be forced to field an unfamiliar bowling attack in the second Test against the West Indies starting Friday at Headingley, with allrounder Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Matthew Hoggard out injured, as reported in Thursday’s Late City edition.

Flintoff, who also missed the opening Test at Lord’s that ended in a draw on Monday, failed a fitness test on his ankle on Wednesday. Hoggard is sidelined with a groin strain, forcing England selectors to call up fast bowlers James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom, who played his only Test six years ago.

However, Flintoff’s absence means England won’t have to drop either Paul Collingwood or Ian Bell, both of whom scored centuries at Lord’s, in order to make space for returning captain Michael Vaughan, fit after a broken finger.

It looks as if Vaughan, who hasn’t played a Test for 18 months, will come in for Owais Shah. The axe may also fall on stand-in captain Andrew Strauss.

“You are always under pressure playing international cricket,” said Vaughan. “I know I need some runs and I am pretty confident I can get a few. When you’ve had a bit of a break like I have, it almost feels like you are starting again.”

The West Indies arrived in England with a new coach, Australian David Moore, a new captain in Ramnaresh Sarwan and without Brian Lara who has retired. Despite only having four days to get ready for the seam-friendly Headingley pitch in Leeds, Moore wants more consistency.

“It’s something we’re working on — and looking forward to being challenged again by England and rising to it,” Moore said.

“We have to put history behind us as we work in a new era with a new generation of cricketers. The key is our consistency and ability to back up a good performance in Test after Test.”

The West Indies is struggling to halt a decline in form. Since their win over England in Birmingham in June 2000, they haven’t won a Test away against any country apart from Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Sidebottom will be bidding for a bowling spot alongside Anderson and seamer Liam Plunkett. Anderson was drafted into the England squad for the first Test, but did not play. Plunkett took two for 107 in the first innings, and 0 for 48 in the rain-affected second.

The 29-year-old Sidebottom has played one Test for England — a win over Pakistan at Lord’s in May 2001. He played two limited-over matches in 2001.

“I probably didn’t perform to the best of my ability when I played that Test but I am a better bowler now,” Sidebottom said.

He’s eager to go one better than his father, Arnie, who made one Test appearance for England in the 1985 Ashes series.

TEAMS

England (from): Michael Vaughan (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Stephen Harmison, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss.

West Indies (from): Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Dwayne Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (RSA), Asad Rauf (Pak); TV: Nigel Llong (Eng).

Match Referee: Alan Hurst (Aus).