Australia suffered a double blow on the first morning of the fourth Ashes Test in Nottingham, when opening bowler Glenn McGrath failed a last-minute fitness test before England [Images] won the toss.

McGrath, who has a swollen right elbow joint, also missed the second Test with an ankle problem. He was replaced by seamer Michael Kasprowicz.

England, with an unchanged side, opted to bat at Trent Bridge.

The world champions had already announced one change to their pace bowling attack, with uncapped Shaun Tait replacing the out-of-form Jason Gillespie.

McGrath, 35, passed 500 Test wickets earlier in the series and plays a key role containing opposition batsmen. He was the man of the match when Australia won the first test of the series.

Team physiotherapist Errol Alcott was confident on Wednesday McGrath's elbow would respond to treatment but said the decision on whether to play him could be left until the last minute.

The bowler, who has had problems with his elbow throughout his career, complained of pain after training on Tuesday. He had also been aware of discomfort during the third test.

He had a short bowl on Thursday before it was announced he would not play.

Teams:

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

Australia: Matthew Hayden [Images], Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting [Images] (captain), Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke [Images], Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist [Images], Shane Warne [Images], Brett Lee [Images], Michael Kasprowicz, Shaun Tait.