Andrew Flintoff faces a tough career choice after failing to provide England with the necessary fitness guarantees and being ruled out of the equation for next month's Test series in Pakistan.

The 22-year-old all-rounder's selection for the first-class section of the tour was always provisional on his ability to deliver ten-15 overs as the seam bowling resources are likely to be stretched in the hot and humid conditions.

Since his departure with the rest of the one-day squad for Kenya nearly three weeks ago, Flintoff has barely been able to turn his arm over.

After failing to bowl for the second successive day in the nets, England decided to send him home after the end of the one-day series.

He will be replaced by Surrey's Alex Tudor, who will fly out with the other five Test players on October 22 while Flintoff returns home.

He will undergo further explorations and tests on his long-standing back problem.

He could then face the stark choice of further operations and medical procedures or attempting to prove himself solely as a batsman for the remainder of his career.

''He has a very difficult decision to make,'' said coach Duncan Fletcher. ''Depending on what comes back from further investigations on his back problem, the decision has then got to be made by him and it won't be easy.

''He may have an operation or he may decide against it and just leave it and try to bowl again in three years, but he will have lost out on a lot of experience by then.''

If he needs to search for possible role models in that manner, both captain Nasser Hussain and Lancashire team-mate Michael Atherton began their careers as promising leg-spinners who batted. Both were forced to give up bowling after injuries and furthered their careers as batsmen.

He has already been given greater responsibility in the Lancashire side by new coach Bobby Simpson playing him at No 3, and Fletcher is convinced he has the ability, if not the composure yet, to prove himself at Test level as a batsman alone.

''I think he can be a very good batter, but he just gets a bit confused about how to play the game,'' said Fletcher.

''He's such an exciting player, he can tear any attack apart and with a bit more experience he could be a very good batsman.

''At the moment he doesn't know when to defend and when to attack and he will only learn that with experience.''

It's a massive blow to England, whose long-term plans could have centred on Flintoff's aggressive batting and deceptively quick bowling to balance the side.

''All these back problems give him a lot of trouble, but anyone who can bat and bowl strengthens their position to play international cricket,'' said Fletcher.

''Any cricket side likes an all-rounder. England have been looking for one for some time and for his part I think he could have been a very effective all-rounder.

''Losing him leaves us light on the batting, but if we didn't have someone who could bowl it would leave us light in that area if one or two guys went down with a stomach virus.

''We only have two real quickies and if Caddick and Gough got a problem we would suddenly be in a situation where we would be looking around for someone to open the bowling.

''Alex is not a bad batter. He's pretty effective and we wanted to get an all-rounder to cover for Dominic Cork and Craig White.''

Before Tudor joins the squad, though, Flintoff still has an important role to play in the one-day internationals, which begin at Karachi's National Stadium on Tuesday, and they may promote him to No 3 in today's opening warm-up match.

''He could bat three because these wickets are flat, but six is the best position for him,'' said Fletcher. ''You sometimes have to be careful with young players moving them up and down the batting order.''

England will face a tough baptism to one-day cricket in Pakistan in today's day-night practice match against a Governor's XI.

The home side includes six players with Test experience and a further three who have played one-day internationals.

They are led by Rashid Latif, alongside fellow Test players Shahid Afridi, Salim Elahi, Younis Khan, Mohammad Akram and Kabir Khan, while Faisal Iqbal, Shoaib Malik and Shabbir Ahmed have played one-day internationals.

England (from): N Hussain (Essex, capt), AJ Stewart (Surrey, wkt), ME Trescothick (Somerset), GA Hick (Worcestershire), GP Thorpe (Surrey), A Flintoff (Lancashire), C White (Yorkshire), MA Ealham (Kent), MW Alleyne (Gloucestershire), AR Caddick (Somerset), D Gough (Yorkshire), VS Solanki (Worcestershire), AP Grayson (Essex), MJ Hoggard (Yorkshire).

Governor's XI (from): Rashid Latif (capt & wkt), Shahid Afridi, Salim Elahi, Younis Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Akram, Kabir Khan, Shabbir Ahmed, Mujahid Solangi, Yasir Arafat, Qaisar Abbas, Asim Kamed, Kamran Niazi