Andrew Flintoff has had a steroid injection as England bid to field their strongest side for the NatWest Series decider against India at Lord's today.

While the debate has raged in football circles about whether England midfielder Steven Gerrard should have a pain-killing jab in his broken toe ahead of their Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel tomorrow, Flintoff was prepared to go down that route despite voicing his dislike for that option in the past.

Flintoff, 29, sent down 15 deliveries on the main square at Lord's this afternoon and has been pencilled in to play only his fourth match in a series which is perfectly poised at 3-3.

Since returning from a third operation on his left ankle last month he has been troubled by pain in the joint and also missed a match due to a niggle in his right knee.

''There is no reaction, no pain so far, so providing there is no reaction (on Saturday morning) there's a great chance he will play,'' said England coach Peter Moores. ''If he is fit to play we will play him providing there is no risk the ankle would get worse.''

Flintoff last received an injection in the ankle before the Melbourne Ashes Test but such a course of action, which reduces inflammation and encourages the healing process, should not be a regular occurrence.

After warming up with three gentle looseners, Flintoff stepped up his intensity and finished off his full marked run-up, tinkering with the placing of his front foot while landing, which is perhaps one way of ensuring a recurring injury does not return.

''It's inflammation which causes pain and then you can't put your foot down,'' said Moores. ''So the injection was designed to take that away.

''The ankle is a bit unstable because of the hammer it has had over time, so it will be a case of monitoring it to make sure Fred (Flintoff) can stay fit and keep playing.

''Fred is aware that the specialists don't know whether it is the rotation of his ankle that has caused the pain originally or not, because it is not an exact science.

''You don't want to keep injecting people to keep shipping them out with a long-term risk.

''What we don't know is how long before the pain comes back or if it's going to come back.

''He is already wearing specially-made boots which help, he has a strict regimes to regenerate and rehab that ankle as well as look at that slight change of foot position if that's relevant.''

To accommodate Flintoff, Sussex's Luke Wright and Dimitri Mascarenhas are the men under pressure to keep their places despite their heroics in the last-gasp defeat to India at the Oval.

Owais Shah, however, is likely to keep his place despite running out Kevin Pietersen shortly after he registered his first one-day 50 of the international season.

Pietersen's reaction suggested he was not impressed with Shah, who eventually went on to hit a maiden England hundred.

''I wouldn't sacrifice myself for anyone,'' insisted Shah, of his decision to maintain his ground.

''If I was to sacrifice myself I may as well not play because I am in the team as a batsman.

''But I was disappointed our best player got out, simple as that. We all know how dangerous he is when he gets going.''

England were propelled to a challenging total from a wobbly 137 for five by the stand between Shah and debutant Wright.

While England go in search of a first one-day series win on home soil since 2004, contingency plans are being made off the field for Sunday's flight to South Africa for the World Twenty20.

James Anderson has replaced injured Ravi Bopara in the 15-man party while others will be on standby with Flintoff, Ryan Sidebottom and Chris Tremlett still slight doubts