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Andrew Flintoff’s camp is on a collision course with the England team hierarchy after his agent said the allrounder felt fit to play at Headingley.
Flintoff was ruled out of the fourth Ashes Test because of his ongoing knee injury and Australia belted the home side by an innings and 80 runs in Leeds.
His manager has put the heat on selectors to pick one of England cricket’s favourite sons in next week’s Ashes decider that potentially doubles as Flintoff’s Test swansong.
“I’ve never seen anybody as low as Flintoff was on Thursday night when he was told he would not be selected,” Andrew Chandler said in The Times.
“He told them that he was fit enough to get through, that he felt no different to how he felt at Edgbaston and that he could get through and do his bit. They didn’t want him.”
The decision on whether to play the injured superstar at The Oval was always going to be challenging as England must win the clash to regain the Ashes.
“He was prepared to do whatever it takes, was prepared to put whatever needed to be put into his knee,” Chandler said.
“The whole point of announcing his retirement when he did was to clear his head and prepare to do whatever needed to be done to play the final Test matches of his career.
“He just didn’t see it coming. He wanted to play and they didn’t want him, and he didn’t see that coming at all.”
England captain Andrew Strauss said the man known as “Freddie” had to be capable of bowling 15 overs in a day to play at the south London venue.
Flintoff also has a presence on the field, he not only lifts his adoring home fans but the entire England team.
Strauss admitted he was keen to make a decision on Flintoff’s fitness sooner than had been the case at Leeds where his side was blindsided by a rampant Australian side.
“Hopefully we’ll know two or three days out from the Test match whether he’s fit enough to play or not,” Strauss said.
Having been the man to tell Flintoff he wasn’t playing at Headingley was hard enough for Strauss, prematurely ending the cricketing warrior’s Test career with the Ashes on the line would be something else altogether.
“I think if he’s going to play he’s got to be fit enough to play his role as an all-rounder,” said Strauss.
“Maybe he doesn’t need to bowl 28 overs a day, but he’s got to be able to bowl more than one spell.
“Having had a couple of weeks break, hopefully he will be in better shape for The Oval.”
The Oval Test starts Thursday week.
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