CRICKET NEWS:ENGLAND WERE last night fearful over Andrew Flintoff's participation in the rest of the Ashes series as they awaited the results of a scan on his right knee that is likely to rule him out of this week's Lord's Test and possibly beyond.
Flintoff, who has been bowling only since June 11th after injuring the same knee playing in the Indian Premier League, twisted the joint in the field during the draw with Australia in Cardiff and now faces renewed speculation about his future as a Test force.
As England’s relief at saving the first Test last night gave way to a familiar sense of foreboding, team officials insisted the scan was merely precautionary but the addition of Steve Harmison to an enlarged 14-man squad did little to dampen fears that the latest in a long line of niggles could rule Flintoff out for the summer.
At 31 he boasts a list of career injuries that have already forced him to miss 62 of the 138 Tests England have played since he made his debut 11 years ago. Although an England spokesman said Flintoff would be given every chance to recover in time for Lord’s, sources close to the Lancashire all-rounder were last night pessimistic about his chances.
Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Andrew is experiencing soreness and swelling in the knee which he twisted while in the field and he will be reassessed by the medical staff over the next 48 hours. It’s not the pain he had before when he had his real problems with the knee – it’s new pain. But if you have pain of any kind you find out the best remedy. We won’t rush it: we regard Andrew too highly to do that. We know how much passion he has to play for England and in the Ashes so we would not rush that situation. An Ashes series is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Exactly how Flintoff picked up his new affliction is not clear, although he twice slid heavily chasing balls to the boundary during Australia’s mammoth total of 674 for six at Sophia Gardens. What does seem beyond doubt, though, is that Flintoff’s 35-over stint – his longest run-out in any cricket since he bowled 40 overs in the first innings against South Africa at Headingley a year ago – would have done nothing to ease the discomfort.
The likely absence of Flintoff for Lord’s would leave room in the line-up for another tall, bang-it-in bowler, and Miller duly described Harmison, who took five for 60 over the weekend for Durham in their county championship match against Yorkshire, as a “like-for-like replacement”.
Miller agreed that Harmison, who twice bounced out Australia’s opener Phil Hughes for single-figure scores while playing for England Lions in Worcester two weeks ago, loomed large in the Australian psyche – despite his disastrous wide to second slip to kick-start the 2006-7 Ashes in Brisbane. “Cricket is a game of mental toughness and psychology, as well as capability and technique, and they remember what he can do,” said Miller, who added that Harmison’s recall was a reward for his efforts since being dropped during the series in the West Indies earlier this year.
“He knows what it’s all about, he’s a strong character, he knows what he has to do internationally, he knows the opposition, so I would have no worry if he did play at Lord’s. Miller added that Harmison and Flintoff could even play in the same side if conditions suited, but last night it was a scenario that felt far-fetched.
- Guardian Service
