Flintoff is top priority for selectors in the decider agaisnt Australia in current Ashes. Flintoff is suffering from knee injury which is still not recovered yet and selectors are keen to his inclusion to take the maximum benefits out of him. Does Flintoff fit for this big job?
Flintoff has been included in three England one-day squads picked to cover the seven-match 50-over one-day series against Australia, October’s Champions Trophy in South Africa, a one-off warm up match in Belfast next week as well as two Twenty20 internationals, also against Australia, over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
It means Flintoff will head straight from retirement as a Test cricketer into his new life as a one-day specialist, even though it was admitted recently that he may need surgery on his right knee.
A lot will depend on how Flintoff fares at the Oval this week on what will be an emotional occasion for him and a high-pressure one for the England team.
The selectors are stating clearly that Flintoff cannot choose his own England schedule. “Andrew Flintoff has stated he is going to retire form Test cricket, so one-day cricket is where he is going to go, so we are hoping he can play as many games as possible because that is what he has designated himself,” said Geoff Miller, the national selector. “We are trying to build up a squad and side so people are comfortable with where they play. If we have to monitor him match by match we will do that, but he is an integral part of our side.”
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