August 6, 2009

Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of the fourth Test at Headingley, after his injured right knee was deemed too much of a concern to risk him in such a crucial encounter.

Flintoff struggled visibly during a 40-minute nets session on the eve of the match, and having received two injections ahead of the Edgbaston Test last week, he was unable to undergo any more this week on medical advice. He bowled with a heavy knee brace, but was unable to hit the crease with any of his customary pace and power, and returned to the dressing room at 11.10am.

That session had been the first time that Flintoff had bowled since his lacklustre display on the final day at Edgbaston, in which he bowled just 11 overs, and none at all in the final session. England insisted they would take the emotion out of the decision over whether Flintoff played in what could be the Ashes-deciding Test, but even at that stage it was clear that his knee was some way short of the requisite fitness to last for five days.

When asked if Flintoff was in a better situation fitness-wise than he had been in the lead-up to Edgbaston, England's captain, Andrew Strauss, had been non-committal. "He did a fair amount of bowling, but with such things it's not about the pain he experienced while he's bowling, but the swelling there is afterwards, and how sore it is. He got the ball through but he didn't look like he was 100%."


Flintoff is likely to be replaced by Steve Harmison, who figured in the squads for the second and third Tests as cover for England's allrounder, but has yet to make the starting XI this series. Flintoff made it clear after his bruising performance at Lord's that he was willing to play through the pain barrier in these, his final Tests, but during a training session at Headingley yesterday, he barely reached his top pace and bowled with a heavy knee brace.

It is a further disruption for England after they were evacuated from their hotel at 5am this morning due to a fire alarm, before being allowed back in after 20 minutes of standing in heavy Leeds rain.