England duo pay tribute to Giles

Former England team-mates have paid tribute to Ashley Giles after he lost the battle against a long-standing hip problem and became the first of the 2005 Ashes heroes to retire.

The 34-year-old left-arm spinner officially announced his retirement on Thursday at the Oval, where he helped England regain the Ashes amid dramatic scenes two years ago.

Captain Michael Vaughan hailed Giles' "strength of character", while all-rounder Andrew Flintoff said: "He's been integral to our success over the last few years and has been a great servant on the field as well as a popular member off it."

Vaughan added: "In my view, Ashley has to be one of the most under-rated cricketers ever to pull on an England shirt.

"He was a key member of the England Test side which won six successive Test series and I know how much his team-mates valued his contributions to our success."

Giles, who plans to pursue a media career, said: "It's a difficult decision because I'm saying goodbye not just to my job, but something I've done since I was about five years old.

"I've loved playing cricket, even the rough times I've had have been great because I think I've learned a lot from them.

"I guess I've had time over the last couple of months to come to terms with it. The advice I've had from my surgeon was to pack it in and it's the right decision.

"I don't want to be a cripple in five years' time. I'm only 34 so I've got a life to lead and kids to play with. I don't want to be hobbling along at 40 because at the moment I'm still limping and still struggling with my hip."