Graveney confident on Flintoff

England Chairman Of Selectors David Graveney is confident star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will be fit for the ODI series against India, starting in late August. Flintoff is currently making his return to cricket, at least with the bat, although the game, for Lancashire Seconds, has been delayed, almost inevitably, by rain.

Graveney told Radio Five Live: “Andrew’s rehab is on course. The plan was for him to be fit for the one-day series and I haven’t seen or heard anything to the contrary.”

Flintoff reported pain in his troublesome left ankle during a County Championship game against Hampshire in May. The diagnosis of the problem was “tissue contributing to anterior impingement”, and he underwent a third operation on the joint shortly afterwards. The recovery time was always estimated to be much shorter than those from earlier operations on bone-spurs in the same ankle.