Andrew Flintoff could be poised for a shock return for England just 24 hours after returning to Pakistan as cover for the lengthy injury list threatening their first Test preparations.

The Lancashire all-rounder was forced to head off to Lahore two weeks after leaving at the end of the one-day international series because his long-standing back injury prevented him from making a contribution with the ball.

Flintoff was summoned after injuries to captain Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan left the tourists short of batting and will arrive in the early hours of today on the same flight as chairman of selectors David Graveney.

He will go straight into the squad and train with the rest of the party at the Colonel Gaddafi stadium before England weigh up their options.

All-rounder Craig White is carrying a hamstring strain while Dominic Cork, his natural replacement, has already been ruled out with back problems.

England could be left with no choice but to bring in Alex Tudor, even though he has yet to play a match on the tour.

But the batting order is causing England most concern with Yorkshire's Vaughan rated as ''very doubtful'' after straining his left calf while fielding in last week's victory over a Governor's XI in Peshawar.

Hussain is expected to recover from his slight back strain after playing a full part in training, but if England are to play seven batsmen, Flintoff may have a crucial role in their game plan.

With Pakistan likely to favour three spinners in Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi and Mushtaq Ahmed, England were considering playing seven batsmen to shield their inexperience on a Lahore pitch expected to favour turn.

But coach Duncan Fletcher and Hussain must now consider whether Flintoff is ready to be thrust into a Test match only three weeks after he was deemed better off in Manchester than staying with the squad as a specialist batsman.

''We would only consider him if we were short of a batter,'' explained Fletcher.

''We considered another couple of players but Flintoff has been here, he's got cricket under his belt over the last couple of months, he's got a feel of the wickets and hopefully he is fit enough.

''We don't regret sending him home because we'd have had 17 players if we'd kept him on and even 16 on a short tour like this seems one too many.

''There is a problem with having so many guys around and trying to give them enough practice and matches because you want all the Test players to have a good knock and the others just get bored.

''We also had to weigh up the bowling we had and Tudor can cover for Cork or White. We have only two real quick bowlers and if one of them had gone down, who would have opened the bowling?''

His return has come as no surprise to the opposition with Wasim Akram, who played alongside Flintoff for Lancashire for several seasons, expressing surprise that he left in the first place.

''I don't know why he ever went home,'' said Wasim. ''He is good enough to play as a batsman in the Tests.

''He is young and the more he plays for England, the more experience he will get and he is the type of player who will win matches. He has definitely made England stronger by returning.''

While Flintoff, whose future role on the tour will be re-assessed once all the injuries are healed, has been given another chance to prove himself, the likelihood of Vaughan being available appears to have receded.

At least White, whose ability to reverse swing the ball could be crucial, does not face quite as bleak a diagnosis.

The hamstring strain he first sustained in Nairobi is expected to heal sufficiently to allow him to play.

''We're not expecting his injury to progress and we're just trying to nurse him through at the moment,'' said physio Dean Conway.

''Things went pretty well for him today and he has played and managed with it for the last couple of games.'