England Days Numbered for Gough

England's talismanic fast bowler Darren Gough was last night coming to terms with the fact that his distinguished international career might be over.

After a lengthy spell on the sidelines the 32-year-old Yorkshireman had been determined to return to full fitness for the Ashes series against Australia which starts in Brisbane on Thursday.

But he cut a glum figure in the team hotel yesterday as he prepared to fly to the English academy in Adelaide for intensive treatment in a last-ditch effort to cure the problem that has plagued his right knee, preventing him playing any meaningful cricket for the past 14 months.

The joint, which has undergone three operations in the past year, had suffered some swelling and discomfort after he bowled two spells in the nets at the Allan Border Field on Saturday as England began their three-day game against Queensland. Now he will receive one-to-one treatment and will also see a knee specialist later in the week.

With Gough suffering another setback in his quest for fitness and with the Durham fast bowler Steve Harmison plagued by shin splints, England have called in Surrey's Alex Tudor from the academy as a replacement.

Gough's cartilage operation was initially presented as routine but it turned out to be not the more common soft-cartilage problem but wear and tear on the hardier, bonier cartilage which makes rehabilitation more problematic.

He could not hide his disappointment yesterday. "I felt I was nearly there with the recovery and ready to start playing again," he said.

"What I want to do now is to work hard at the academy and give myself the best possible chance of getting fit again for the remainder of the winter."

"It is very frustrating," agreed the England coach Duncan Fletcher. "He had been making good progress and had done everything we had asked in terms of conditioning and strengthening work.

"We were hoping he could play grade cricket this weekend. But the priority is that he gets intensive treatment and expert medical guidance. At this stage we cannot put a time frame on his recovery."

Gough still dreams of making a dramatic England return and contributing gloriously to helping his country reclaim the Ashes.

But, if the injury persists, or if he makes an abortive Test comeback, the time will naturally come when retirement and an automatic insurance pay-out will seem a more logical outcome.

News of the other England injuries is better, however, with the batsman Michael Vaughan and the all-rounder Andy Flintoff coming through the past three days unscathed. Vaughan made a century against Queensland, his fourth in seven innings for his country, as England drew their final warm-up match.

The Australians meanwhile have concerns over the fitness of their wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, who was in hospital yesterday receiving treatment for an infected elbow. However, it was described as "precautionary" and the expectation is that he will be fit for the first Test.

"We have every confidence at this stage that Adam should be right for the Test if he responds to the treatment as we hope he will," the team physiotherapist Errol Alcott said.

The problem arose on Saturday when Gilchrist complained of tenderness on his elbow. The area became more uncomfortable when he joined the team camp in Brisbane on Sunday and he was sent to hospital yesterday. The Australian Cricket Board said last night that it had not placed another wicketkeeper on standby.