Fletcher plan to drop stars quashed

"Duncan was keen to rest five cricketers from the tour," said Morgan. "That would have meant the tour party being captained by someone who has not done the job for England previously."

Clearly, then, Vaughan and his deputy, Marcus Trescothick, were high on the list of players Fletcher wanted to give extra rest before the full tour of South Africa, which starts in December.

However, Trescothick said: "Nobody has mentioned anything to me about a break. I am available for selection, definitely."

Senior spinner Ashley Giles is another key member of the squad who might benefit from a longer break while batsman Andrew Strauss has burst from the wings to appear in all seven Tests and 12 oneday internationals this summer. He said that he still hadn't made up his mind whether to go on the tour and revealed there are "deep moral concerns" within the camp.

There was always a compelling argument to leave Flintoff at home following his worrying ankle problem in mid-season.

And it would be a surprise if England took Darren Gough to Zimbabwe, having decided to look at possible alternatives in the seam bowling department when they visited Bangladesh and Sri Lanka a year ago.

But finding a potential successor to Gough must seem like just about the easiest task now facing chairman David Graveney and his fellow selectors Fletcher, Rod Marsh and Geoff Miller.

Having picked a squad last night, they will spend today checking that the men on the list are willing to tour Zimbabwe - and that the party is strong enough to suit the ECB.

Morgan accepted there were sound cricketing reasons for leaving some players at home. He insisted: "I put team morale and the fitness, both physical and mental, of the players high on my agenda."

As ever with the Zimbabwe issue, however, conflicting messages and signals cloud the issue.

At a time when they should have been celebrating a summer of fantastic success - despite Saturday's astonishing two-wicket, ICC Champions Trophy defeat by West Indies at The Oval - Vaughan, Fletcher, Graveney and Morgan awoke to a newspaper story headlined ' England in tour mutiny threat'.

Harmison's withdrawal from the Zimbabwe tour last weekend supposedly led to a "stand-up row" between Vaughan and his leading fast bowler. And the other suggestion was that more players will pull out if Fletcher's plan to rest key personnel is scuppered by Morgan.

"It's a spectacular headline but it has no foundation whatsoever," insisted Graveney before delivering his own mixed message on the likely make-up of tomorrow's squad.

"In my time as a selector we have always selected the strongest side," said Graveney.

"The only question with any team selected for England, so far as cricket is concerned, is that it's subject to fitness.

"A lot of the players have been carrying a number of injuries during the course of the summer and it will be up to the medical staff to inform the selectors that an extended rest would be beneficial."

Despite losing in near darkness on Saturday evening - thanks to Lambeth-born Courtney Browne and fellow tail-ender Ian Bradshaw producing an incredible ninthwicket stand of 71 - Vaughan and Co linked arms for one last huddle.

England have been together in victory this summer and they were together in defeat at The Oval.

Anything or anyone who threatens that unity should not be forgiven.