London - England star Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of competition for the rest of the season by his county Lancashire as he struggles to recover following knee surgery.
The 32-year-old all rounder was due to make his comeback this week from a year on the sidelines after two knee operations.
However, he was pulled out of both a limited-overs game on Monday and a three-day match, starting on Tuesday, for the second team against Yorkshire in Crosby, Liverpool.
"Following consultation with Andrew Flintoff, Andy Williams (Flintoff's surgeon) and our own medical team, Lancashire County Cricket Club have today (Tuesday) confirmed Flintoff will not be returning to competitive cricket for the remainder of the 2010 season," said a statement by Lancashire.
Flintoff has not played since a major operation on his right knee last August and he underwent further surgery in January.
This latest setback means Flintoff will not play for the Chennai Super Kings in next month's Champions League and raises major doubts over whether he will be available for England's one-day squad for the winter tour of Australia.