England are waiting on the fitness of seam bowler Matthew Hoggard while Pakistan have concerns over fast bowler Mohammad Asif and batsman Shoaib Malik (both elbow) although seamer Mohammad Sami appears to be fit after a knee injury.

"We still have a bit of a problem with Asif," Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said before the tourists' training session at Lord's here Wednesday.

"He's practising today and after that we'll decide if he's playing or not playing," added Inzamam of fast bowler Asif, who in his first five Tests has taken 25 wickets at just 20 apiece.

"There is a also a little bit of a problem with Shoaib Malik, otherwise everyone is fit," Inzamam said. "Shoaib has an elbow problem but Sami is fit."

Asif had to have an injection into his right elbow during last week's tour match against England A at Canterbury while Shoaib, who scored a hundred in Pakistan's preceding match against Leicestershire, is struggling to throw.

"If Asif doesn't play tomorrow (Thursday) he will definitely be playing by the second Test (starting at Old Trafford on July 27).

"But the batting is more experienced than the bowling and if we put a big score on the board we have a chance to win this game."

Pakistan, already missing spearhead quick Shoaib Akhtar (ankle) for this match and fellow seamer Naved-ul-Hasan, who has already been ruled out of the whole tour with a groin problem, have summoned uncapped left-arm quick Samiullah Khan as cover.

Meanwhile England hope that Hoggard, an ever-present in their last 32 Tests, will be able to play after sustaining a bizarre injury to his right, bowling, hand when it was trodden on by Yorkshire colleague Tim Bresnan while the pair were warming-up during the A team's draw against Pakistan.

Hoggard, who had stitches inserted into his hand, bowled with a cricket ball during practice at Lord's on Wednesday.

But afterwards England stand-in captain Andrew Strauss said it was too early to say if the 29-year-old seamer would be fit in time for the opening match of a four-Test series.

"He did some useful work in the nets today and every hour the hand is getting better. But we are going to give him as long as possible to prove his fitness".

The opening batsman, who will captain England for the first time in a Test when he leads the team out at his Middlesex home ground Thursday, is without Ashes-winning pacemen Andrew Flintoff (ankle) and Simon Jones (knee), as well as reserve quick James Anderson (back).

And Strauss was in no doubt about Hoggard's value to an attack where, in the Yorkshireman's absence, Stephen Harmison - England's quickest bowler but not always its most reliable - will be expected to take the lead role.

"We all know Hoggy's done a very good job for the England team over the last 24 months and, certainly since the Ashes, he's probably been the pick of our bowlers," added Strauss.

Jon Lewis and Sajid Mahmood appear to be contesting the same place alongside Harmison, Liam Plunkett and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar in what is likely to a four-man England attack at Lord's.

Strauss is captaining the team because Flintoff - the man England want to lead them in Australia for the defence of the Ashes later this year after Michael Vaughan was ruled out with a knee injury - has still to regain full fitness, although the selectors hope to have him back in time for the second Test at the all-rounder's Old Trafford home ground.

England haven't won a Test series since the Ashes - losing 2-0 in Pakistan before drawing away to India earliert this year and at home to Sri Lanka.

And under Strauss an injury-hit side then went down to a 5-0 one-day series thrashing by Sri Lanka concluded earlier this month.

Meanwhile Pakistan have moved above England into second place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after winning their last three series. Not that their captain was too concerned.

"It doesn't matter where you are in the rankings," Inzamam, who averaged over 100 against England during last year's series in Pakistan, said.

"Every series is a new series and if you play good cricket you'll win."

Inzamam said England were "still a good team" despite their injury problems and Strauss was adamant he would not be under-estimating any Pakistan side.

"The thing about the winter was their unpredictability. They can turn a game round in one session and you can't afford to relax against them."

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)