Victory would be greatest moment - Flintoff

England v Australia, 5th npower Test, The Oval

August 18, 2009

Flintoff explains retirement decision Andrew Flintoff has given a painful insight into the factors that contributed to his retirement from Test cricket. The England allrounder is almost certain to be ruled fit for his farewell Test at The Oval from Thursday, in what will be the final act of an 11-year career as notable for injury-enforced absences as flashes of brilliance. "I look at it and think I've been fortunate to play as many Test matches as I have," he said. "It's been tough. I've had all these injuries, surgery, periods of rehab which total up into the years now. That's been frustrating but if someone said at (the age of) 20 that I'd have played this many Test matches for England I'd have snapped their arm off because I played young and didn't think I'd get back in after the start I had. I'm pleased with the way it's gone. "It's been everything that I dreamed it could have been. When you talk about injuries and going through rehab at times it has been tough but the thought of putting on an England shirt and cap again is the one thing that gets you through. And having the opportunity to wear the three lions around the world and at venues like Lord's, walking out there on a pitch like that, or here walking out on Thursday, I don't think you can actually put into words how much I enjoy it. And I'm privileged to have been able to do it. "When I go home I'm actually quite quiet but out on the cricket field, it's somewhere I can express myself and almost be somebody else for the day."

Andrew Flintoff believes an England victory in his farewell Test would be a greater accomplishment than the team's venerated 2-1 Ashes triumph four years ago. Describing this week's Ashes decider at The Oval as "the biggest [Test] I'll ever play in", Flintoff said a final act of resurgence after a trying 12 months would be a more satisfying result than England's authoritative series win in 2005.

"It's different, obviously going in 1-1, but if we win this one it will be a far greater achievement than 2005," Flintoff said. "That was fantastic but the side had performed well over a period of time and we'd beaten everyone in the world and we came here against Australia expecting to win.

"I'm not saying we're not expecting to do it this time but the side's gone through a lot over the past 12 months. The side's changed hell of a lot. We've got young players who have never played in the Ashes. And from my point of view, with the injuries that I've had to be here, if we won it would be a far greater achievement for some of the things that have happened over the past six to 12 months."

Flintoff, training with a brace on his damaged right knee on Tuesday, began cautiously in his first bowling session since the eve of the Headingley Test, but gradually built up pace during a 20-minute spell. He expected the knee to swell after training, but insisted it could be managed with regular icing and treatment. "I'm confident I'll be alright," he said.

Flintoff admitted to disappointment over his Headingley omission - he had insisted his knee could have withdtood the rigours of the fourth Ashes Test - but declined to take aim at Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower over their decision.

"It was a tough decision all round," he said. "I'd have played at the position I was at the time but Andrew [Strauss] and Andrew [Flower] decided that wasn't an acceptable level, so that's the sort of thing you've got to get on with. Ever since then I've been trying to get right for this one here which is going to be an unbelievably good game.

"Sometimes in professional sport there are some hard decisions you have to make and as a player sometimes they're hard to take but you move on from that. I'm just pleased to be here now with an opportunity to play on Thursday."

Flintoff has placed sentimentality and thoughts of another knee operation to one side as he attempts to propel England to Ashes glory, but conceded the enormity of his decision to retire from Test cricket would likely not hit him until England's next international assignment.

"At some point in the winter when the boys are playing in South Africa I'm sure I'll want to be there and I'll be missing it," he said. "But the retirement was a decision I came to a while ago. That knee stuff, it was the final draw. I got it out there to stop the speculation over my future. Since announcing it, it's been a bit of a weight off my shoulders and I can go out there and enjoy the last game. As for sentiment and all that, I'll let you know how I can get on with that.

"I've not been thinking about the past full stop to be honest with you. I'm proud that I've played for England over a period of time, proud of some of my performances and proud I've been on a winning side for quite a long period of time. That's about as far as I've gone to be honest with you. My thoughts over the past week have been getting fit for this Test match which is the biggest I'll ever play in, not because it's my last but the position of the series - 1-1 against Australia. It's a great opportunity for anyone going out there to take the series by the scruff of the neck and put in a match-winning performance."

Watch Australia Vs England 5th Test Live Streaming

Thursday, 20 Aug 2009

			Australia Vs England
Venue :5th Test Match, Kennington Oval, London Live action starts from: 10:00 GMT (15:30 IST) Test The Ashes 2009 Test Match Match

Watch Australia Vs England 4th Test Live

England v Australia, 4th Test, Headingley

Flintoff struggles put Harmison on alert

Match Facts

Friday, 07 Aug 2009

			Australia Vs England
Venue :4th Test Match, Headingley, Leeds Live action starts from: 10:00 GMT (15:30 IST) Test The Ashes 2009 Test Match Match

August 6, 2009

England will have to take the emotion out of a decision on Andrew Flintoff, says the captain

Andrew Flintoff appears ever more likely to miss out on selection for tomorrow's fourth Test at Headingley, after struggling visibly during a 40-minute nets session on the eve of the match. Flintoff received two injections in his damaged right knee ahead of the Edgbaston Test last week, and so cannot undergo any more this week on medical advice. He bowled with a heavy knee brace, but was unable to hit the crease with any of his customary pace and power, before returning to the dressing room at 11.10am.

The session was the first time that Flintoff had bowled since his lacklustre display on the final day at Edgbaston, in which he bowled just 11 overs, and none at all in the final session. England have insisted they will take the emotion out of the decision over whether Flintoff plays in what could be the Ashes-deciding Test, but on the available evidence his knee is some way short of the requisite fitness to last for five days.

When asked if Flintoff was in a better situation fitness-wise than he had been in the lead-up to Edgbaston, England's captain, Andrew Strauss, was non-committal. "He did a fair amount of bowling today, but with such things it's not about the pain he experienced while he's bowling, but the swelling there is afterwards, and how sore it is," he said. "At this stage it's hard to know, because I haven't had a chance to speak to him fully.

"He got the ball through but he didn't look like he was 100%," Strauss conceded. "Sometimes a bowler doesn't want to hit 100% in the day before a game, and so it was more about how he was feeling with his knee, but until I've spoken to him at length, it's hard to say. I'm still optimistic he will be fine to play, but we won't know until later on this evening."

The hosts have a 14-man squad and a 1-0 lead, and are adamant that they will delay their decision as long as necessary, even if that leads to uncertainty among the players on the fringes of selection. "In situations like this you tell people to prepare to play, and if they don't, then at least they've prepared," said Strauss. "It's not an ideal situation, but that is the situation we're in. If he's fit enough to play a full part we desperately want him to play. If he's not then it's wrong of us to pick him."

Either way, Strauss said Flintoff would not be permitted the final say in his own selection. "It will be my decision ultimately," he said. "You've got to take the player's point of view on board and listen to that very carefully, because he knows his body better than anyone. You've got to take the medical opinion on board as well, because they've got an idea of what might happen if he plays. But ultimately it's a decision for myself and the coach. We won't know that until later today until we see how he reacts to what he did today in the nets."

"We're going to have to [take the emotion out]," Strauss said. "It's the fourth Test of an Ashes series, we're close to the finish line and although we're all desperate for him to play, we need to be realistic enough to realise that if he's not fit then he shouldn't play.

"When you're captain, you're motivated by what's good for the team, and obviously if him playing has a detrimental effect on the team, then it's wrong to make that decision on sentimental grounds. Fred would appreciate that. The last thing he wants to happen is to play and not be able to fulfil a role in the game. That's a pretty bad situation to be in as an individual. I'm sure he'll be honest with us, and sentimentality is pushed to the back of all our minds really."

Flintoff was England's main man on the final day at Lord's when he took five wickets to guide them to victory, but his discomfort seemed to increase as the third Test wore on. He scored a muscular 74 in the side's only innings at Edgbaston and did not make a breakthrough in 30 overs.

England's inflated outfit includes the batsman Jonathan Trott and bowlers Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison, whose chances of playing improve considerably if Flintoff is ruled out, a fact that he seemed to recognise as he tore in with venom at Ravi Bopara in the nets, in full view of his captain. "We've covered all bases with the squad we've picked," Strauss said. "We will have to wait to see how Fred is. In a way there are potentially hard decisions to make."

"Harmison is a genuine option to play in this Test match," said Strauss. "It's fantastic to have a squad where you've got guys of that quality waiting to get in. Ryan Sidebottom bowled magnificently today as well. There's been a lot of cases in the past where we've been struggling to get three decent seamers on the park, and suddenly we've got five or six of them queueing up to play. That's a pretty good situation rather than a bad one."

By early next week Strauss could be an Ashes-winning captain and he told his players they would have to deal with the extra demands at Headingley. They will not be employing a cautious approach even though the pitch at The Oval, the venue for the final match, is likely to favour another stalemate.

"Coming here expecting there to be a draw, or hoping to be a draw, is the wrong way to go," he said. "It's not the way we're looking to approach it, we're looking to win the game and in doing so win the Ashes. It's a massive Test and, as always is the case in an Ashes series, the closer you get to the finish, it becomes more dramatic and the pressure and expectation rise a level."

Watch England v Australia, 3rd Test Live Streaming

England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston

Australia have lost aura - Strauss

Match Facts

Thursday, 30 Jul 2009

			Australia Vs England
Venue :3rd Test Match, Edgbaston, Birmingham Live action starts from: 10:00 GMT (15:30 IST) Test The Ashes 2009 Test Match Match

	Andrew Flintoff has an aura that few of the Australians can match

Andrew Strauss has provided a telling insight into the growing confidence within the England team by insisting Ricky Ponting's squad has lost its aura of invincibility. Ten days after England ended Australia's 75-year unbeaten streak at Lord's, Strauss leapt onto the offensive on the eve of the Edgbaston Test, suggesting Ponting's youthful band do not possess the intimidatory powers of their predecessors.

"I don't think this Australian side has got an aura about it to be honest with you and prior to this Test series starting we didn't feel they had an aura about them," Strauss said. "That's not disrespectful to the players they've got because they've got a lot of very good players but I think the aura came with the likes of Warne and McGrath and Hayden and Gilchrist, all those sort of guys.

"This [Australian] team over time might develop an aura, but right at the moment you've got a lot of guys who are at the start of their Test careers. It doesn't mean you are any more likely to beat them or anything like that but it feels like you are playing against any other Test team."

Strauss' comments are someway short of revelatory - Graeme Smith and Anil Kumble have previously commented on Australia's decline following the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, to name but a few - and even his opposite number, Ricky Ponting, conceded that there was a grain of truth in his sentiments.

"Any feeling of aura that you get against opposition sides is something that is built up over a period of time," said Ponting. "There are some reasonably fresh faces around our group who are just starting to find their feet at international level, so it's inevitable that the aura of our side is going to change. But it's okay for him to say that now, I'm not sure he was saying that after Cardiff - we had it well and truly over most of their batsmen down there."

Since last year's tour of India, Ponting's side has won five, lost six and drawn three Test matches, and is fighting to repel South Africa's bid for their No. 1 ranking. Australia's crown has already slipped in the shorter forms of the game - the South Africans are rated the world's top-ranked 50-over side, while Australia suffered an embarrassing first-round exit at the World Twenty20 - and Strauss insisted the rest of the world was fast reeling them in on the Test front.

"An aura is when the opposition teams, even though they are on top, are not confident they are going to beat you," he said. "They always expect something dramatic to happen that will bring your team back in the game and put them under pressure again.

"We certainly felt that in 2006-07. Even when we had good days, we were thinking what is going to happen now. Is Gilchrist going to blast a hundred or Warne take five wickets from nowhere? It only comes with a large consistent level of performance for a long period of time. Australia had that, personally I don't feel that's where they are right at the moment."

Strauss conceded England would not establish its own aura without a sustained period of success; a point that was met with agreement by Ponting at his ensuing press conference. "You create aura with a group of guys on top of their game, all heading in the same direction, and with stand-out performances," he said. "It's generated over a period of time with some excellent play, and England's current Test rating would probably indicate that they don't have one."

Key to England's hopes of achieving success in this series is Andrew Flintoff, a man who possessed an aura all of his own at Lord's, and despite not training on Wednesday, Strauss was confident his allrounder would be fit for the third Test.

In the lead-up to Lord's, where he took five second-innings wickets, Flintoff had scans on the injury and it has required regular pain killing to provide him with the chance of repeating his 2005 Ashes triumph. "He bowled two good spells [on Tuesday], one in the middle, one in the nets, and he seemed to come through those okay," Strauss said. "It's always the case, you've got to see how he responds to bowling more than actually what happens when he's bowling. But we are optimistic at this stage."

Given the overcast conditions, the only reasons England will have to change their second Test line-up are if Flintoff is injured or they are desperate to bring in Steve Harmison. "The guys who played at Lord's all performed pretty well so we'd have to be sure the conditions were going to help someone else if we were going to make that change," Strauss said. By confirming that Monty Panesar has been released from the squad, the likelihood of an unchanged attack has increased.

The England dressing room is a quieter place since Pietersen's foot surgery and Ian Bell has tip-toed back into the XI after being dropped during the West Indies tour. Strauss said the entry of Bell, who will bat in Pietersen's spot at No. 4, was reassuring.

"He's a proven Test performer, he's played in the Ashes before and he's done that spell out of the side that a lot of us have been through," he said. "It's not much fun when you are out of it but it makes you very, very hungry when you come back in. And also, you've got a kind of mindset that you've got nothing to lose. You've been out of the side, this is another opportunity for you. I expect him to grasp that with two hands and play some really good innings in the coming matches."

For Ponting, however, the absence of Pietersen provided an undoubted boost to his hopes of making in-roads into their batting. "They've lost some skill out of their middle-order," he said. "I think [Pietersen] is one of the better and more dominant players in world cricket, and I firmly believe England look to him to give them something with the bat, so we'll see over the next five days whether anything has changed.

"Bell is a good player, as we've seen through his career, but he hasn't played as well as he would like against Australia, so it's a great opportunity for us. If we can get the openers out early and get the middle-order out there against a relatively new and shiny hard ball, we can do some damage."

Strauss said it would be "massive" if England could enter the fourth Test in Leeds next week with a 2-0 advantage. "One thing we are very conscious of is not resting on our laurels now we are 1-0 up," he said. "We've got a fantastic opportunity this week to build on that. Complacency is the furthest thing from our minds at the moment. We are expecting a much harder Test match this week and we're ready for it."

Flower optimistic about Flintoff's fitness

England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's

Flower optimistic about Flintoff's fitness

Match Facts

Thursday, 16 Jul 2009

			England Vs Australia
Venue :2nd Test Match, Lord"s, London Live action starts from: 10:00 GMT (15:30 IST) Test The Ashes 2009 Test Match Match

Andrew Flintoff didn't bowl in the nets at Lord's on Tuesday but will have a go on Wednesday

Andy Flower, England's coach, is optimistic that Andrew Flintoff will be fit to play in the second Test at Lord's, starting on Thursday, despite reporting soreness and swelling in his right knee after falling awkwardly in the field during last week's first Test in Cardiff.

Given his recent injury concerns, which forced Flintoff to miss 25 of England's 48 Test matches since the 2005 Ashes, the news of his latest injury setback had been greeted with concern, especially as the injured knee was the same one that required surgery back in April, after Flintoff tore his meniscus while playing for Chennai Superkings in the IPL.

Flower, however, sought to play down the extent of the latest injury, and told reporters at Lord's that Flintoff's surgeon, Dr Derek Bickerstaff, had suggested "he should be okay to play", having received a cortisone injection on Monday to assist with the recovery.

"He [Bickerstaff] was quite optimistic about him [Flintoff] playing in this game," said Flower. "He won't bowl today, but he'll have a bat and he'll have a bowl tomorrow, and we'll assess it tomorrow. We'll let it settle today."

Despite finishing with disappointing figures of 1 for 128 in 35 overs, Flintoff bowled with pace and hostility in his first Test outing of the summer in Cardiff, and with his batting showing signs of returning consistency, England still retain the hope that he might yet rediscover the form that made him such an irresistible force in the 2005 Ashes.

Nevertheless, Flower was wary of getting too hopeful about his long-term fitness. "I think with Fred and his injury record we're always concerned, to be honest," he said. "His body is in that sort of state, at this time of his career, when he seems vulnerable a lot of the time. We can't get away from that, but he's a hell of a player and we want him in our side if fit."

The statistics of Flintoff's recent form and impact on the Test side, however, are not flattering. Since the 2005 Ashes, he has averaged 28.25 with the bat and 34.68 with the ball in 23 Tests (both figures down on his overall Test record), and he has not managed a century or five wickets in an innings in any series since then.

Most damning of all, however, is his record as a match-winner. Although some leeway has to be made for the quality of the opponents - Flintoff has often been recuperating during low-key series in preparation for the marquee events - the statistics paint a sorry tale. In the 25 matches that Flintoff has missed since 2005, England have won 12, drawn 10 and lost on only three occasions. In the 23 matches in which he has been present, those numbers are almost exactly reversed - won 3, drawn 7, lost 13.

What is more, there is a growing suspicion that the unpredictable nature of Flintoff's fitness record has an adverse impact on the balance of the side, and the role of the less-vaunted players. James Anderson, for instance, who recently admitted it is hard to avoid feeling like a second-fiddle when Flintoff is in the side, averages nearly 10 runs higher when his Lancashire team-mate is also in England's bowling attack.

Flower, however, does not have any time for such suggestions that Flintoff overawes his team-mates. "I don't think that's something that should distract any of our boys, whether or not Fred's playing," he said. "The guys will just get on and prepare, as professional sportsmen do. Frustrating or not, that's how it is, there's no point in getting too het up about it."

In the meantime, Flintoff could either be replaced by, or joined in the same line-up as, Steve Harmison, who was understood to have frustrated the England management with his poor fitness and attitude on their recent tour of the Caribbean. His form this summer brooks no equivocation, with six wickets in a fiery performance for England Lions against Australia at Worcester earlier this month, and a five-wicket haul for Durham in his most recent Championship outing against Yorkshire.

Despite suggestions that Flower had been the most ardent critic of Harmison's attitude, he disputed it on the eve of the second Test. "I never drew any line under Steve, that wasn't the case at all," he said. "If that was the perception elsewhere, there's nothing I can do about it. Steve was always in the frame, because he's a hell of a fast bowler with a very good record for England."

England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff

England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff

Test of character for both teams

Match facts

		England Vs Australia

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Start time 11.00am (10.00 GMT)

Venue :1st Test Match, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Live action starts from: 10:00 GMT (15:30 IST) Test The Ashes 2009 Test Match Match
ENG Vs AUS

The Big Picture

	Kevin Pietersen, the player Australia most fear

England's turn to host the Ashes always results in an extended build-up and after 31 months the talk stops on Wednesday and a pair of teams with many fresh faces continue a 122-year rivalry. Both sides have changed line-ups considerably since the past two series and the chest injury to Brett Lee, who is out of the Cardiff and Lord's games, takes further experience away from Australia while increasing the comfort of the local batsmen.

The home side has a new Ashes captain in Andrew Strauss and two match-winners in Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff. All three have beaten Australia and lost heavily to them. In the baggy green corner sits Ricky Ponting, a leader on his fourth tour of England, and he is in charge of an outfit that can no longer rely on Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist et al. After losing to India and South Africa, they crossed the Indian Ocean and beat the Proteas to retain the game's top spot earlier this year, but doubt remains over their status. On the rankings page this is a battle between No. 1 and No. 5, but for Australia and England it is much more than that. The history of the competition is so detailed that the players will be told to break it down to a simple, clutter-free contest. It will be impossible for the Ashes debutants and how they cope with the initial stages could determine the result of the first Test.

Instead of Lord's or Edgbaston or Old Trafford staging the opening game, the players have stepped into Wales for the series welcome in Cardiff. It is the city's first Test match and there are still rumblings that it has been given a chapter of Ashes history. Australian supporters have tried to move on from the gripping 2005 defeat and England fans seem to have slept through the 2006-07 whitewash. Both sides want this version to be unforgettable.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

England - WWDDD
Australia - LWWWL

Watch out for ...

Kevin Pietersen is the player Australia feared most when they had Warne and McGrath, a world-beating pair which could not stop him from taking 963 runs at 53.50 in the two previous series. An Achilles injury threatens to be Pietersen's Achilles and he has only started running in the past week. A hobbling Pietersen could derail England's hopes, but his swagger is the most pronounced during the biggest contests and he will do anything to make it through to The Oval.

In South Africa Mitchell Johnson turned from a sometimes meek and wayward operator into the most frightening bowler in the game. He forced Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis to retire hurt while taking two wickets in the same opening spell in Durban, his potent short deliveries backed up by a new-found ability to swing the ball in as well as moving it away. Throw in his silky yet powerful batting and his performances could determine the series.

Team news

All of England's players are fit so they have to trim two men from their squad. Ian Bell should remain on the fringe and the final choice for the bowling place will be between Monty Panesar and Graham Onions. Panesar had a much longer workout in the nets than Onion on Tuesday. England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Matt Prior, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions.

Lee's stomach injury has seriously disrupted Australia's plans and leaves a delicate choice for the tourists. Picking Nathan Hauritz alongside Johnson, Siddle and Clark is the most orthodox option, even though the offspinner has found county batsmen a challenge in the two warm-ups. Ben Hilfenhaus and Andrew McDonald will also have their cases pushed and all the combinations carry an element of risk. Australia (possible) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Peter Siddle.

Pitch and conditions

Ponting expects the pitch to have some moisture at the start, providing "slow-ish seam and trampoline" bounce, but he believes it will turn. The pitch spent most of Monday morning under the covers and when it was revealed in the afternoon there was not much green on the strip. Less colour was on show on Tuesday.

Andrew Strauss said it looked like a good pitch, but one that would not offer much pace or bounce. "There will be a little bit in it for everyone," he said, "and that's the sort of wicket we were hoping to see." The weather has been unpredictable, with rain and sun fighting for attention, and more wet conditions are predicted for the end of the week.

Stats and trivia

• In 300 Ashes Tests England have won 95; Australia have been successful in 121
• It is 1410 days since England won their last Ashes Test, at Trent Bridge in 2005
• None of Australia's fast bowlers have played a Test in England
• Allan Border was the last Australian captain to lose two Ashes series when his sides were beaten in 1985 and 1986-87
• Australia must win the contest to keep the No. 1 Test rating

Quotes

"We know the type of cricket we need to play to win this series and we've got good ideas as to the type Australia are going to play too. We have to keep nice and calm and controlled."
Andrew Strauss

"Their side reads pretty good and I think if you matched both sides up on paper it would be pretty hard to pick the winner."
Ricky Ponting