NASSER HUSSAIN and Duncan Fletcher, England's tour selectors, will this evening confront a series of dilemmas at what will be their most critical meeting of the winter. Captain and coach want the team they send out tomorrow to play the three-day match against Queensland in Brisbane to bear a striking similarity to the one that will take the field at the Gabba on Thursday for the first Ashes Test.

Players such as Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff, who were regarded as automatic choices a few weeks ago, have yet to get on the field this winter and have been told that they must play in the match at the Allan Border Field if they want to be considered for the Test.

That is where the problems lie for the two selectors, who have seen other players such as Robert Key and Craig White, a late addition to the party, push their claims in the matches against Western Australia in Perth. If Vaughan and Flintoff do play, there may not be room for Key and White in the team — yet both may be needed for the Test.

Key, the Kent opening batsman, presents the toughest selection decision. With Vaughan struggling to recover from what was expected to be straightforward keyhole surgery on his right knee, Key has grabbed his opportunity impressively. His unbeaten 59 on Wednesday was the latest demonstration of the attacking strokeplay that has impressed Fletcher.

"I like the way he plays," the England coach said. "He plays all around the wicket, which is important here, and he cuts well. He is the kind of a guy that I think needs a bit of a challenge, he's pretty confident and relaxed and I think he has a good temperament for this sort of cricket."

Key, who played in two Tests against India last summer with a top score of 34, may be in contention for several places. As well as opening if Vaughan is not fit, he could challenge John Crawley for the No 5 position or even play at No 7 if England opt to do without an all-rounder.

The same problem arises over Flintoff's return. England are keen to see if he is fit enough to return for the Test, yet by playing him this weekend they will deprive White of much-needed time in the middle. Flintoff has rejoined the squad after a week of fitness work at the Academy in Adelaide, saying that he is ready to play in the Queensland match, but if he suffers a reaction, White will be required for the Test squad.

Fletcher said: "There are a lot of questions to be asked and hopefully we will come up with some answers in this three-day game. We have to try to get the balance right, we want the players to get some mileage into their legs and others need a game, but we also want it to be pretty close to the XI that play in the Test."

The other man yet to play in Australia after having surgery at the end of the English summer is Darren Gough, who a week ago appeared to have no chance of making the first Test but who is making bullish noises to anyone who cares to listen. When he came on as a substitute fielder for two hours of the final day at the WACA on Wednesday, he was welcomed by his team-mates like a returning prodigal son, with high-fives all round.

Gough has been bowling at close to full pace in the nets and England would dearly love to have him up their sleeve for the first Test, yet to play a bowler who has appeared in only one first-class match in 14 months and undergone three knee operations in the past six would be a huge gamble without convincing evidence that he is ready.

Fletcher described it as "a very delicate situation", but the performance of Simon Jones this week has eased the need to take any risks with Gough. England will surely take the view that leaving him out of the first Test is a small price to pay if it means that he is fit for the last four.

Queensland, champions of the Pura Cup (formerly Sheffield Shield) are without their two Test players — Matthew Hayden and Andrew Bichel — this weekend but otherwise have a full-strength team, including a host of names familiar to county cricket followers.

The team is led by Jimmy Maher, the former Glamorgan player, and lining up with him are Stuart Law, of Lancashire, Martin Love, of Durham, Ashley Noffke, of Middlesex, Andrew Symonds, of Kent, and Michael Kasprowicz, of Glamorgan.

QUEENSLAND (from): J P Maher (captain), M L Love, S G Law, B P Nash, A Symonds, L A Carseldine, W A Seccombe, A A Noffke, M S Kasprowicz, J H Dawes, N M Hauritz, D R MacKenzie.

ENGLAND (from): M E Trescothick, M P Vaughan, R W T Key, M A Butcher, N Hussain (captain), J P Crawley, A J Stewart, A Flintoff, C White, A F Giles, A R Caddick, S P Jones, M J Hoggard.

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