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“It’s disappointing, but we have a long winter ahead and I didn’t want to risk missing more of it,” said Flintoff, who is strengthening the trouble spot with help from Lancashire physic Dave Roberts. “It was decided that this was as good a time as any to sort out the problem and hopefully I’ll be fully fit very soon,” added the all-rounder, who was voted man of the series against South Africa. Anderson is also hoping that a knee problem clears up before the start of the one-day series. Kent’s 31-year-old Martin Saggers was called up as replacement for Flintoff.
ISM’s director of cricket affairs Neil Fairbrother, the former England and Lancashire batsman, believes the decision to leave Flintoff and Anderson behind was the correct one. “The pair bowled far more overs than they or anybody else expected last summer ands the body can only take so much,” he said. “It is better that they both rest and then return to the squad fully fit for the bigger matches against Sri Lanka and then the West Indies in the early part of next year”.
Written by Martin Hardy on behalf of ISM
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