Flintoff in Mumbai on Thursday

Mumbai: England’s hopes of squaring the three-Test series against India suffered a major blow when pace spearhead Steve Harmison was ruled out of the third and final Test beginning here on Saturday because of a shin stress.

“Harmison has been ruled out of the Test. He’s been diagnosed as having a shin stress on his right leg. We are seeking further medical opinion from the UK,” said the visiting team’s media manager Andrew Walpole.

Walpole said pending the medical update, which is expected on Friday, the Durham bowler will be staying back in India. “At the moment we have not thought of asking for any reinforcement,” he added.

“Harmison has a sore shin and he will have an X-ray later on Thursday,” Walpole said.

Harmison, who bowled just four overs during the second innings of the second Test defeat to the hosts in Mohali, did not bowl during practice on Thursday. “Obviously we will be speaking to the doctor and tomorrow we will have a greater indication of where he is at. If you don’t have a player like Harmison, of course it is a blow.

“We want to win the Mumbai Test. It would be a massive achievement if we could beat the Indian team. In the last two Tests we have shown signs of it. We just need to get our act together over all five days,” the allrounder said.

“We have done well on the whole except for one session in the second Test (in Mohali which England lost by nine wickets). I don’t think at this stage we deserve to lose the series. We hope to square it,” said the 28-year-old Lancashire player, the visitors’ most impressive batsman with two half centuries (70 and 51) in Mohali.

Flintoff ruefully agreed that England needed to try and dismiss his counterpart Rahul Dravid, who is in tremendous form in the series, cheaply.

“He’s nicknamed ‘The Wall’. It is very difficult to get him out once he is set. He’s a great example of how to bat in the sub-continent. He goes on and on. He’s a fine player,” Flintoff said in Dravid’s praise.

Asked whether the team would go into the match with two spinners, Flintoff said it was an option that England had, but a final decision would have to be taken only on Friday after another look at the Wankhede Stadium pitch.