England wins toss and bats in second Ashes test

England won the toss and opted to bat first in the second test at Lord's on Thursday, as England made one change to the team that earned a tense draw in the first match.

England omitted left-arm spinner Monty Panesar and recalled Durham pace bowler Graham Onions, though his county teammate Steve Harmison did not make the team despite his six wickets against Australia for England Lions earlier this month.

Australia named the same team that so nearly took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the first test in Cardiff, where it failed to take the last three England wickets in the last 38 overs.

The Australians, unbeaten at Lord's since 1934, are seeking to retain the Ashes after beating England 5-0 in 2006-07.

England allrounder Andrew Flintoff is playing his final Lord's test after announcing on Wednesday that this series will be his last in test cricket because of his ongoing injury troubles.

Teams:

England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions.

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Simon Katich, Phillip Hughes, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus.