Andrew Flintoff May Not Play For Ashes  Andrew Flintoff |
Andrew Flintoff may not be able to participate in the rest of the Ashes series as he awaits the results of a scan on his right knee that is likely to rule him out of this week's Lord's Test and possibly beyond.
Flintoff, who has been bowling only since June 11 after injuring the same knee playing in the Indian Premier League in April, twisted the joint in the field during the draw with Australia in Cardiff and now faces renewed speculation about his future.
Team officials insisted the scan was merely precautionary but the addition of Steve Harmison to an enlarged 14-man squad did little to dampen fears that the latest in a long line of niggles could rule Flintoff out for the summer.
"Andrew is experiencing soreness and swelling in the knee which he twisted while in the field and he will be reassessed by the medical staff over the next 48 hours," Geoff Miller, the national selector, was quoted as saying in the Guardian Tuesday.
"It's not the pain he had before when he had his real problems with the knee -- it's new pain. We won't rush it. We regard Andrew too highly to do that. We know how much passion he has to play for England and in the Ashes so we would not rush that situation."
