Andrew Flintoff, the England all-rounder, has been sleeping with a machine to maintain his hopes of being involved in the third Test which starts tomorrow.

The Australia paceman Brett Lee is almost certain to be missing for the third straight Test match, though.

Flintoff, 31, has been wearing a Game Ready wrap around his injured right knee in a bid to ease the discomfort he felt before, during and after the second npower Test win over Australia at Lord's.

The contraption was designed using NASA spacesuit technology and simultaneously supplies intermittent compression and ice treatment. It works on the inflamed area, half an hour on, half an hour off, while individuals are in bed and is regularly used by Premier League footballers who have experienced joint injuries.

Flintoff, whose fifth-morning display with the ball eight days ago sealed a 115-run victory and the man-of-the-match award at Lord's, yesterday bowled at close to full capacity for around 10 minutes in the middle at Edgbaston.

It was an encouraging sign for England less than 48 hours before the third match of the series begins.

Having lost Kevin Pietersen, one of their big game players, England will be keen for Flintoff to fulfil his ambition to get through the campaign in spite of what his body says.

Ian Bell, the Warwickshire batsman, has been given the task of deputising for Pietersen at No.4, one which brings extra pressure. "I guess it does so in certain ways," admitted Bell. "But I think when you go into games like this, it's a big occasion.

"The whole batting unit has to go out and perform. We can't rely on one guy to go out and score the whole runs for the team.

"To me it's a matter of contributing to that batting unit and knowing what I can do and offer to the team and play in a style where I know I play at my best.

"Of course with someone like Kev, a world-class player, you're going to miss that. But we all have our own tempo. Kev has his methods, I have my methods and strengths.

"I want to become one of the best players in England and I want to keep improving," said Bell. "I've played well against other teams and now I have to play well against Australia."

Meanwhile, the Australia vice-captain, Michael Clarke, has confirmed that Lee, already regarded as doubtful with the side strain that had kept him out of the opening games at Cardiff and Lord's, is not ready to take part.

"He only bowled off three or four steps today in the net," said Clarke. "He is doing plenty of fitness work and is working very hard to get himself right. I am not sure exactly how far away he is but I think he is out of contention for Thursday."

Clarke was pleasantly surprised when he had his first view of the Edgbaston wicket yesterday as Australia look to bounce back from their defeat at Lord's.

"The wicket looks better than we expected," he said. "It is quite dry. I would imagine that spin will play a part in this game. I don't think the forecast is great for the rest of the week and I am sure conditions will come into the equation when selecting the side. We know we need to improve with bat and ball and perform at the highest level."