Flintoff to test ankle out

England Cricket / Editor / 29 May 2007 / Leave a Comment

Andrew Flintoff will prove his fitness for England ahead of the third Test against the West Indies by bowling for Lancashire in their Championship game against Sussex.

The 29-year-old all-rounder has missed two Tests against the tourists with an ankle injury and was only able to bat against Yorkshire eight days ago.

Peter Moores wants to see Flintoff give his ankle a thorough workout on Wednesday before deciding on his availability for England, who lead the four-match Series 1-0 and who are the predictable 1.58 favourites in Betfair's match odds market for the third Test at Old Trafford starting on June 7.

The struggling West Indies are not fancied to win in Manchester on what is expected to be a fast track and can be backed at 15.5, with the draw trading at 3.05.

"We want him to test it out and see if he can put himself in the frame for Old Trafford," Moores told BBC Sport.
"That's really dictated by the medical staff and he's been well looked after at Lancashire.

"He has to try it out and see what happens, to see if his ankle will allow him to do those things.

"He might have some pain but it's whether it's manageable and it's going to be something he's going to play through without causing extra damage."

Flintoff has had two operations on the same ankle in three years and is not guaranteed an automatic return on home soil when the third Test gets underway.

Surprise inclusion Ryan Sidebottom marked his return to the international fold with an eight-wicket haul at Headingley and is the 2.2 favourite to end the Series as the top England wicket-taker although he is unlikely to find conditions in his favour at Old Trafford.

Spinner Monty Panesar is next best at 2.38 while Steve Harmison, who looked a lot happier under the stewardship of fit-again captain Michael Vaughan in Leeds, can be backed at 5.5.