SHEFFIELDER Michael Vaughan makes his 50th appearance as England Test captain today at his home ground of Headingley - but who will join him in his milestone match will not be decided until shortly before the toss.
Vaughan, 33, becomes only the second Englishman to reach the half-century in charge following Michael Atherton.
All-rounder Andrew Flintoff will be alongside him for the second match of the npower series against South Africa, after an 18-month injury lay-off.
But left-armer Ryan Sidebottom will be assessed this morning, after his back strain prevented him bowling on either practice day, and James Anderson's back was also reacting negatively to the three days in the field at Lord's in the drawn first Test.
"It's a huge honour," Vaughan said. "But you only get to that achievement by getting good teams, good management and winning games of cricket.
"You only win games with good players, and outstanding players, and I am just lucky to have had a few."
Vaughan was not overly optimistic about Sidebottom's chances of playing following rain-enforced indoor practice yesterday.
But speaking before Darren Pattinson, a Grimsby-born Australian roof tiler with just 11 first-class games experience, was called up as cover for Anderson, hoped the toil on a benign Lord's surface last week would not have too detrimental an effect on the bowling unit's stamina.
"It is obviously going to have some effect but they do seem okay, they're a pretty fit bunch of guys," Vaughan said.
"Hopefully they will come through, they seem in good spirits, so they will just have to go out and bowl in a similar fashion."
Hampshire's Chris Tremlett preceded Pattinson in travelling to Leeds as standby yesterday.
And the injuries niggling the squad suggested the wise move might be for England to revert to a five-man attack in case of further misfortune.
One of that quintet will be Flintoff, 30, who has not played Test cricket since the final Ashes drubbing of 2006-07 and has not appeared in a home Test since the defeat to Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge two summers ago.
He was captain in both those contests but his new all-round role is designed to ease him back in and avoid too much public expectation.
"Freddie Flintoff will play and bat at number seven," confirmed Vaughan.
"Then obviously the decision will be made whether we play four bowlers or five bowlers.
"Seven is just a position we want Freddie to get settled in.
"At this stage, batting him at number six is quite high up and the pressure of him doing that, and the style of doing that, is slightly different.
"I've always seen him more as a number seven; his style of play is very much suited to that position.
"Given the opportunity and that chance I think he can take the game away from the opposition from that position.
"He is happy there, he feels comfortable playing there at the minute and it takes a little of the pressure off him to go and express himself."
England's thinking on Flintoff may also have been influenced to some degree by the performances of Kiwi Jacob Oram, another of the world's top all-rounders, in that position earlier this summer, having previously struggled a place higher up the order.
So wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, who contributed four of England's 593 in the draw at Lord's and just 10 throughout the entire NatWest Series against New Zealand, faces uncertainty over his role as a result.
He will either bat at number six or eight depending on the final selection, which initially appeared to be a straight choice between left-armer Sidebottom and Paul Collingwood.
"Sometimes the confidence boost of being pushed up the order is just what is needed," said Vaughan. "He seems to be hitting the ball well - he's had one knock in the series and he obviously didn't have a great one-day series, so that is why a lot of people are talking about him but I think he is looking very comfortable in the Test team."
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