Hoggard upbeat injury report

Profiles / Editor / 14 June 2007 / Leave a Comment

Matthew Hoggard says he expects to be fit enough to play for England in the fourth Test against West Indies at the Riverside.

The Yorkshire bowler has missed the last two Tests after suffering a groin injury during the drawn match against the tourists at Lord's, but is now well on the road to recovery.

Hoggard bowled 10 overs for Yorkshire in their Friends Provident Trophy clash against Northants at Headingley on Wednesday and came off the pitch insisting he was 'pain free'.

The seamer revealed: "The only issue is going into a Test without much match practice.
"It was a good work-out and nice to get three spells, stopping and starting and making sure I could carry on.

"That was as much of a test as anything. If you can get through 10 overs with three spells it means that it's fine."
The 30-year-old, who would be making his 64th Test appearance, is expected to replace Liam Plunkett for the Durham clash.
With poor weather forecast for the back end of this week, the draw is the current 1.43 favourite while England can be backed at 3.6 and West Indies are available at 30.