Overcoming the loss of Andrew Flintoff against WI at Kensington Oval might not be as seismic a task as England assume.

Thoughts on how to cover their key all-rounder's absence have dominated selection for the penultimate match of a series in which the tourists trail 1-0.

His absence, combined with that of wicketkeeper Matt Prior due to paternity leave, has dictated a revamp in the middle order and pushed England into fielding a four-man attack.

While that appears to restrict England's chances, the omens are good statistically at least, as captain Andrew Strauss' three Test wins have all come without Flintoff around.

Furthermore, since the 2005 Ashes victory, England have been considerably more successful without Flintoff than with him.

Premier all-rounder

Flintoff has played in half the 42 completed Tests since, England winning 10 of the 21 he has missed and only three of the ones he has played.

Despite being England's premier all-rounder, he has just five hundreds and two five-wicket hauls in 75 appearances.

"I think no-one feels those stats more than Fred," said Strauss.

"I think he'd like to make more match-winning contributions but you've got to bear in mind that, for an all-rounder, a 60 or 70 with the bat and three or four wickets with the ball is a pretty solid contribution.

"You have to look past those stats a little bit and also note the effect he has on the team.

Hip injury

"I'm sure he'd like to push those stats up and once he is back fit then hopefully he'll have the enthusiasm to do that."

Flintoff is scheduled to begin rehabilitation from his hip injury towards the end of this match, and his return towards fitness allied to a victory would be a major fillip heading to Trinidad.

For Strauss, the fact that England have shown an ability to win without their most cherished asset is a source of confidence they can repeat the comeback success managed in New Zealand last year.

"We've had to play without him quite a lot over the last few years and if you rest all your hopes on one man, sometimes the rest of the team don't take the responsibility they need to," Strauss added.

"We've found when he hasn't played before the bowlers have stood up and performed and the batting unit has performed pretty well as well so there is no reason we can't win.

Hands up

"We'd love him in the side but I don't think that it affects our chances of winning.

"I still think we have a very good chance of winning with the bowlers we've got.

"It is just a case of three seamers standing up and doing the job rather than four. That just gives them more responsibility and in many ways you will get more out of bowlers that way.

"I think we get used to relying on Fred both as an attacking and defensive option, which is a great luxury to have, and when he's not there then other bowlers have to put their hands up and take the wickets or bowl the maidens."

Despite only arriving on the tour last weekend, following a 41-hour trek from New Zealand, Ravi Bopara appears set to take Flintoff's place at number six, a spot above deputy wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.

Long shot

Bopara's hundred against a Barbados Cricket Association President's XI, and an ability to bowl medium pace, has resulted in him challenging Ian Bell in the reckoning.

"I think the reality is that the reasons we dropped Ian Bell haven't particularly changed," said Strauss. "We feel that he needs to work on a few things and he needs to freshen up mentally.

"If he comes into the game then he wouldn't have had the opportunity to do that, or at least it would only have been a very short window to do that."

Fast bowler Amjad Khan - Bopara's travel partner from Christchurch via Auckland, Los Angeles and Miami - is also being considered, even if he is more of a long shot.

Frustrating

England must consider whether to persevere with Steve Harmison, who has been off-colour in recent months but is the most likely to extract the extra bounce on offer.

"I think there are two ways of looking at Steve Harmison," said Strauss. "One is that he is frustrating and you don't always get the same level of performance out of him, the other is that he is a bowler and bowlers rely on rhythm that doesn't come as easily as people think.

"It is easy for batsmen to say 'Come on, just run in (and bowl) at 92mph' when it is actually harder to do that in practise.

"His levels of fitness are much better than they were and he will continue to get fitter.

"As he does, he will bowl more consistently fast and with hostility.

"Generally with Steve if he is bowling quick and with hostility then no batsman likes facing him.

"He knows what we want from him and I think he knows how to get there so it is up to him to put that work in."