Sussex star James Kirtley has been ruled out of the fifth Test with England because of a shin injury.

That could open the way for him to make his county return in the crucial Championship fixture with Middlesex, which starts on Friday.

England have given "shin splints" as the reason for Kirtley's absence after two impressive Test appearances.

Sussex have all along insisted their main pace bowler had nothing more than sore shins and, with rest, would be fit by the end of this week.

The county have yet to reveal whether he will be part of their plans for the three remaining games which could bring the Championship title to Hove for the first time.

Surrey lead the table by one point but will be without Graham Thorpe for this week's trip to Canterbury after he was taken back into the Test match fray.

Thorpe will resume his England career confident he is ready to perform again at the highest level after a year's absence from the international arena.

Thorpe replaces old friend Nasser Hussain, who broke his left big toe batting in the last Test and is unlikely to play again this season, while Worcestershire off-spinner Gareth Batty takes Kirtley's spot.

Thorpe will go straight into the side over a year since his England career was abruptly ended when he announced he was taking a complete break from cricket in the aftermath of his highly-publicised marriage break-up.

The turmoil that caused in his life also prompted Thorpe to withdraw from last winter's Ashes tour at late notice, having previously assured the selectors he was ready to play international cricket again and may have prolonged his exile from England's ranks since.

But having scored runs regularly for Surrey this summer and assured the selectors of his availability for this winter's tours to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies, Thorpe was welcomed back into the fold again this morning.

He returns refreshed and eager to regain his standing as England's premier batsman after sorting out his private life and insisting he is happier now than he has been in some time.

"The winter is out of my hands," said Thorpe, speaking to BBC Radio Five Live. "The selectors will decide what sort of team they want to take away for the winter - for me it's important to concentrate on this Test.

"The selectors have spoken to me throughout the summer so they know the position in my life, I've been in the best frame of mind that I have been in for the past few years.

"Surrey have enjoyed having me around and I've enjoyed playing for them this year as well. It's been competitive playing for them and competing for trophies throughout the summer and hopefully I can take that into this Test with England."

Having played 77 Tests in his career, Thorpe is wise and experienced enough to realise that a place on this winter's tours is anything but assured with the selectors keeping their options open before they announce the squad to face Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

But having resolved the crisis in his personal life, Thorpe is happy to have effectively a one-match trial to try to convince the selectors he should be one of the names included when the tour squad is announced in London on September 10.

"It's going to be tough but all the Test matches I've played for England have been tough so it's not as if I'm going to do something I've not done before," he stressed.

"It's been a year since I last played and that's a long time to be out of international cricket but I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm going to enjoy it, I don't think I've got anything to lose by playing in this game and that will be my attitude towards it. I don't know if it's going to be one game or 10, 20 or 30 games but I'll be going out there to do my best and we'll have to see how it pans out from there."

England certainly believe the return of Thorpe, who averages 55 in county cricket this summer, will strengthen a batting unit without the experience and determination which Hussain has provided in the last two matches.

"Graham's inclusion is not like-for-like because one is left-handed and one is right-handed but it is in terms of experience and batting in that sort of position," explained Graveney.

"He's made himself available for the winter and he will be in the mix when we look at the tour squads. I've spoken to him during the summer and he is obviously had a very difficult time, but he assures me that he wants to commit himself to England and in the end you have to take someone's word for it."

England's only other dilemma is the fitness of Surrey seamer Martin Bicknell, who struggled with hamstring trouble throughout his Test return at Headingley but has made progress with the injury in the last week.

The selectors delayed the announcement of this squad, which was scheduled to be named on Friday lunchtime, to give Bicknell more time to recover and they will monitor his progress after he has played in today's National League match for Surrey against Yorkshire at Headingley.

Another un-named player has been put on stand-by should Bicknell fail to come through today's game and will take his place in a seam line-up alongside Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Kabir Ali while Ashley Giles will battle with Batty for what is expected to be a solitary spinner's role.