Flintoff in despair as Twenty20 looks out

13 April 2012

Andrew Flintoff's already dark mood will have turned pitch black on Monday as it emerged that plans are in place to deal with his possible absence from next week's Twenty20 World Cup.

The Lancashire and England all-rounder consulted a specialist in London on Monday after experiencing pain in his troublesome left ankle during last Thursday's NatWest one-day international victory over India at Old Trafford.

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Flintoff's hopes of playing again this season are looking bleaker

With Ravi Bopara also struggling with a dislocated thumb, uncapped Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright was added to the squad for the remaining two games of the seven-match series, which England lead 3-2.

Flintoff missed Sunday's 38-run defeat by India at Headingley and his chances of playing again this summer appear increasingly bleak.

Barely two weeks after returning to international cricket following his third bout of ankle surgery, England's talismanic all-rounder is understood to be distraught at the prospect of yet more time on the sidelines.

On the day another injuryplagued 2005 Ashes hero, Simon Jones, was given a glimmer of hope as Hampshire signalled their interest in signing him for next season, England coach Peter Moores gave an insight into Flintoff 's mental and physical anguish.

'Fred has been sat on his backside for a long time and desperately wants to play. I feel for him,' said Moores.

'There is a worry about it, but we can't do anything until we know exactly what is going on. All we can do is go through the right processes and keep our fingers crossed that the ankle will settle down and it becomes a manageable problem. We are working on contingency plans if people don't become available for the Twenty20.'

There are growing concerns that the 29-year-old's action, in which his left foot splays awkwardly at the point of delivery, puts an unbearable strain on his ankle joint.

His 100 per cent approach has made him one of the most successful and popular England players of the modern era, but it also means he is reluctant to deliver anything less than top pace.

Moores said: 'It is his style of cricket that makes him a special cricketer. It will be difficult for him to change his style because of his competitive nature. Hopefully, he can carry on playing this way for England for a long time to come.'

With England 3-2 up in the series, the likely loss of Flintoff for Wednesday's sixth game at The Oval is compounded by Bopara also struggling after damaging his thumb at Headingley.

Bopara underwent a scan on Monday while Chris Tremlett had an injection in his right foot and is certain to miss Wednesday's game.

Flintoff and Bopara will be assessed on Tuesday before a decision is made on the final XI, but Dimitri Mascarenhas looks sure to be given his chance while Wright, 22, will also come into the reckoning.

Mascarenhas is also in line for a call-up to the Twenty20 side which plays Zimbabwe in Cape Town next Thursday should either Flintoff or Bopara withdraw.

One man who will share Flintoff's pain is Jones. The Glamorgan fast bowler has suffered a desperate run of injuries since he topped the England bowling averages with 18 wickets at 21 apiece against Australia two years ago.

He has taken just one wicket in the LV County Championship this season after failing to recapture his form following knee surgery.

But Jones, 28, had reason for optimism on Monday as upwardly mobile Hampshire hinted they may be interested in signing him - fitness permitting.

Glamorgan are keen to hold on to their prized asset but Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove said: 'We'd be interested in signing Simon if we could be convinced about his fitness.'

Hampshire team manager Paul Terry added: 'We haven't spoken to him yet but he is one of a number of players we are interested in signing for next season.'

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