England can function without Flintoff now: Broad

Flintoff is recovering from a knee operation after being injured playing in the Indian Premier League last month and he remains a major doubt for the World Twenty20 tournament.

For too long, Flintoff’s absence has been greeted as a sign that England are destined for a period of failure. But now Broad is convinced England have adapted to Flintoff’s absences so well they can perform impressively without the Lancashire star. “We’ve certainly won well without Fred in the past, but it’s important we play good cricket,” Broad said.

“He’s obviously a very important player for us with bat and ball but players step up and take responsibility when he’s not here, that’s very important.

“We need to gain confidence of winning without Fred so when he comes back into the side there will be a lot of belief and confidence there.”

Sunday’s six-wicket triumph over West Indies at Bristol, when Broad claimed four for 46, was an example of how England have developed.

“It’s obviously a very short series but winning is very important all the time just to keep momentum going,” Broad added. “When Fred gets fit he will obviously slot back in and hopefully buy into how we’re doing it.

“Fred is the the sort of bowler who gets thrown the ball in an important situation but when he’s not in the side someone else gets given the ball and take more responsibility.

“I think we’ve done that well when he’s not been in the side and that can only be good because when we get in a pressure situation with Fred in the side, Andrew Strauss will have options. “I thrive on that extra responsibility and I certainly like taking the new ball.

In one-day cricket we talk about the first 10 overs setting the tone and that’s my job with Jimmy (Anderson),” Broad said.

England are expected to make a decision about Flintoff’s participation in the ICC Twenty20 later this week and unless his fitness has improved greatly, Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan is expected to be named as his replacement.