England are anxiously awaiting news of Graham Thorpe's injured hand.

Thorpe was hit on the right hand during a wonderfully hostile spell of fast bowling from Brett Lee. He was taken to hospital for an x-ray, but after that was inconclusive it was arranged for him to see a specialist today.

Thorpe has been England's most consistent batsman in the past year, and England coach Duncan Fletcher admitted that his loss could be crucial.

"It would be a big disappointment if Graham was out," Fletcher conceded. "He's really played well for us, he looked good in the first innings and we need him in the side because he's a very experienced and top class player."

With Nasser Hussain still a major doubt for the Third npower Test, and short of cricket anyway, the loss of Thorpe would be a crippling blow to a side that finds itself 2-0 down.

There were few words of comfort from Australian captain Steve Waugh.

"He [Thorpe] had a torrid time in that Test and that's what our bowlers are there for - to test the best batsmen out. They gave him a good working over and if he's there for the next Test there'll be plenty more of that," he warned.

"The great thing about our side is that it's relentless pressure and if you relax or you don't concentrate for one ball then it can really cost you. That's the hard thing about playing a side like us; it's relentless and you have to be mentally tough to do well.

"It's not easy for England to fight back in this situation, particularly guys who have been around for a long while like Alec Stewart and Michael Atherton. They've had a lot of losses against Australia, so it must be tough for those guys to lift themselves and believe they can beat Australia, but they're good cricketers and it's really up to them to lift the rest of the England side."

Bur England's nemesis, Glenn McGrath denied there had been a premeditated plan to target Thorpe, and traced England's problem back to before the NatWest Series, to the second innings of the Second Test against Pakistan when they collapsed dramatically after tea.

"It wasn't a gameplan to go out there and target him," McGrath insisted. "I think Brett just got fired up and charged in and hit the deck with good pace and unfortunately for 'Thorpey', he copped one on the hand and it doesn't look good for him.

"They definitely have their work cut out if they want to beat us," McGrath continued. "A lot of people say the one-day tournament started England's downward slide, but it was probably more to do with the last Test against Pakistan and the way they batted on that final day.

"That was more of a psychological blow than anything else and we saw that and thought we could really use that and open up the scars we have given them in the past, and so far it is going to plan.

Shah and Afzaal are sure to come into the reckoning if Thorpe and Hussain are ruled out of the Trent Bridge Test, though the balance of the side may be altered anyway to include a spinner.

© CricInfo