Flintoff says he is fully fit for Ashes Test series

Flintoff, who captained England in 2007 when Australia strolled to a 5-0 whitewash, wants to use this week’s three-day friendly against Warwickshire at Edgbaston to prove his right knee is free of injury.

He believes he is on target to be at his peak for the first Ashes Test at Cardiff which begins on July 8.

“For the past eight weeks since the knee operation, I’ve been working hard hopefully that is all behind me now,” Flintoff said on Monday.

“I’ll just keep maintaining my fitness and looking after my knee as well as my ankle. I’ve played three weeks for Lancashire, bowled my overs, managed to score a few runs, and I’m pleased where I am at this stage.

“This game with Warwickshire is the final piece of the preparation for the team and also for myself. I’ve played two championship games and three Twenty20s and so this last game is vitally important, for form and also to bowl some overs and to get some more runs.”

Flintoff is keen for an extended spell of action after injuring his knee.

Reprimanded

Meanwhile, Flintoff was reprimanded for missing the team bus during a pre-Ashes bonding session in Belgium.

As part of their Ashes build-up, the players were scheduled to visit the trenches in Ypres on Saturday to pay tribute to the soldiers who died during the first World War. While Andrew Strauss and his men turned up on time, Flintoff went missing, prompting the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to reprimand him.

“We can confirm Andrew did miss the team bus and the matter has been dealt with internally with what is considered an appropriate response,” an England spokesman was quoted as saying by The Guardian.