The Hindu : Sport : Andrew Flintoff to quit after Ashes

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Andrew Flintoff to quit after Ashes

— Photo: AFP

TIME TO STOP: A long record of injuries has convinced Andrew Flintoff that he cannot cope with the rigours of the longer version of the game.

LONDON: England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff announced on Wednesday that he would retire from Test cricket after the Ashes series against Australia because of his ongoing struggle with injuries.

The 31-year-old Flintoff is still determined to feature in the four remaining Tests of the current series despite aggravating a knee injury during the drawn first Test against Australia.

“My body has told me it’s time to stop,” the former England captain said. “For the next four Test matches, I’ll do everything I need to do to get on a cricket field and I’m desperate to make my mark.

“I want to finish playing for England on a high and if you look at the fixtures going forward, the way my body is suggests I won’t be able to get through that,” Flintoff added.

Flintoff has struggled with injuries since being at the heart of the 2005 Ashes triumph and is sacrificing five-day cricket to try to ensure his fitness for the 50-over and Twenty20 international matches. He has played Test cricket for 11 years.

Unable to cope

“I’ve been through four ankle operations. I had knee surgery just a couple of months ago and had three jabs in my knee on Monday just to get me right for this Test so I took that as my body telling me that I can’t cope with the rigours of Test cricket,” Flintoff said.

“Since 2005, I’ve done two years when I’ve done nothing but rehab from one injury or another. Two of the last four years I’ve spent just in rehabilitation and I just can’t keep doing it for myself, my own sanity, my family and also for the team — because they need to move on as well.”

Flintoff said he hoped his decision could help him stay fit for the next two 50-over World Cups in 2011 and 2015. “We’ve got a World Cup in 2011 and I’d like to play another after that as well. I think there is a lot of cricket left in me and I want to be the best in the world in that form of the game.”

About his remaining contracts with Lancashire and IPL side Chennai Super Kings, Flintoff said: “I’ll see what they want from me and what I want to do as well.”

England captain Andrew Strauss revealed that although he had prior knowledge, Flintoff made the announcement to the team only on Wednesday morning.

“As players, we’ve had a feeling this was coming sooner rather than later with the injuries he’s had over the last couple of years,” Strauss said. “Test match bowling puts so much pressure on his body that this seemed the logical thing to do.

“It’s sad that he’s made this decision at this age, but maybe it will make him more motivated for the next four Tests. He wants to go out with a bang,” added Strauss.

Confident

Strauss was confident that Flintoff would be fit enough to get through the Lord’s Test that starts on Thursday, and also the rest of the series.

“We spoke to the medical staff and we would never play a guy in a Test if we didn’t have a huge amount of confidence that he could get through,” Strauss said. — Agencies

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