Cricket
Flintoff comeback date unclear
2010-04-12 17:31
London - Andrew Flintoff admits he still does not know when he will make his long-awaited comeback from knee surgery.
Flintoff has been troubled by knee problems for years and retired from Test cricket after helping England win the Ashes against Australia last year.
But the all-rounder still hopes to play one-day matches for his country and had an operation on his left knee soon after the Ashes triumph in a bid to cure the latest problem.
However, initial hopes that he could be fit to play for Lancashire at the start of this season had to be revised following further surgery in January.
Now the 32-year-old hopes to be batting again in practice this month or early in May, while his updated timetable of recovery remains to play again for his county by the end of July, with a view to returning in limited-overs cricket for England in due course.
Speaking at Lancashire's media day on Monday, Flintoff said: "It's going all right. The first five weeks since the latest operation have been just resting, letting it all settle down.
"The past three or four weeks I've been able to work pretty hard, cycling, swimming, kayaking. I've got a bit of strength back in my legs.
"I've not got a date that I can just pull out of the air. But after the last operation we said five or six months, which is going to take us to the end of July, early August.
"So that's the only time frame. I've not played any cricket yet but over the next few weeks I'll get a bat back in my hand."