England [Images] will assess later on Wednesday whether captain Michael Vaughan [Images] is likely to be fit enough to face Australia in the second Test starting at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Vaughan was taken to hospital on Tuesday for an X-ray after being struck on the elbow in the nets by seamer Chris Tremlett.

Although there was no break, Vaughan is suffering heavy bruising and his participation is not guaranteed.

England, 1-0 down in the five match series, must also decide whether to replace Ashley Giles with Paul Collingwood [Images].

Giles's left-arm spin had seemed likely to be favoured ahead of Collingwood's mix of batting and medium pace.

But forecasts of further bad weather -- Birmingham was hit by heavy rain and a freak tornado last week -- could prompt a re-think.

Australia seem certain to retain the winning formula that earned them a 239-run victory at Lord's, even though Michael Kasprowicz pressed Jason Gillespie hard for the third seamer's slot with five wickets against Worcestershire.

Giles, should he survive, will probably do so because there is no other English spinner pressing him.

TALKING POINT

His state of mind -- he hit back emotionally this week after being criticised for his first-Test showing, even suggesting some former England players wanted the team to lose -- has been as big a talking point since Lord's as his bowling.

Some commentators have wondered how he will cope with Australian sledging if he cannot cope with his own press but few have championed an alternative spinner to replace him.

As Giles pointed out himself in The Guardian newspaper: "There is no English Shane Warne [Images]... And, that being the case, whether people like it or not, I still think I'm the best man for the job."

The prospect of rain, however, might yet convince coach Duncan Fletcher that conventional finger spin would be an Edgbaston luxury.

Collingwood's wobbly seamers might be more useful, while he would also stiffen a batting line-up which failed to get England past 200 in either innings at Lord's.

Collingwood, until now seen as a one-day batting all rounder, has scored three hundreds for Durham in the run-up to the second test.

Giles, batting at eight in the first match, made 11 and 0 while failing to take a wicket in 11 overs costing 56 runs at Lord's. He failed to worry or contain the Australians, forcing Vaughan to turn back to his overworked fast bowlers.

"With him," Derbyshire coach Dave Houghton said after the game, "England are effectively playing 10 against 11."

Edgbaston, though, is Giles's home ground, where he took nine wickets in the second Test against West Indies [Images] last year.

A second Australian win will put captain Ricky Ponting [Images] on the brink of sealing their ninth consecutive Ashes series success.

Barring more tornadoes, a draw seems unlikely. The last 15 Ashes Tests have all ended in victories, 12 of them to Australia.

Teams from:

England: Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick [Images], Andrew Strauss [Images], Ian Bell [Images], Kevin Pietersen [Images], Andrew Flintoff [Images], Geraint Jones, Ashley Giles, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard [Images], Steve Harmison

Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Matthew Hayden [Images], Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke [Images], Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist [Images], Shane Warne, Brett Lee [Images], Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.