UK: CRICKET - England cricketer Andrew Flintoff may not be able to play in the upcoming Test match against the West Indies with a flare up of a troublesome ankle injury

England cricketer Andrew Flintoff may not be able to play in the upcoming Test match against the West Indies with a flare up of a troublesome ankle injury. England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is undergoing treatment for an ankle injury four days before the start of the first test against the West Indies, the cricketer announced in London on Monday (May 14). Flintoff told journalists he he'd suffered discomfort in his left ankle following the County Championship match between Lancashire and Hampshire on Saturday. The England Cricket Board will review his injury Tuesday. "We'll probably know more tomorrow (Tuesday) to be honest once I have run around and done what I need to do at practice, so I am hopeful for Thursday, I think sometimes when it's the ankle the alarm bells start going a little bit, but no, I am hopeful." Flintoff missed much of last season with ankle trouble and has twice undergone surgery. England are already without captain Michael Vaughan for the first test of the four-match series, with opener Andrew Straus taking over the captaincy instead of Flintoff, who was skipper for the 5-0 Ashes whitewash defeat in Australia. Flintoff said England is not taking it for granted that the West Indies has lost star player Brian Lara, who announced his retirement from the game after the World Cup. "You look at their side, they've got some world class performers and if you take them lightly you will get found out so, you know, I think we'll be hitting the ground hard come Thursday," said Flintoff. Saying the team are now focusing on the upcoming Test matches, Flintoff said the England team are not letting their poor performance in the World Cup damage morale. "The World Cup didn't go as well as we'd like to, you know, we didn't perform well as individuals or as a team, but we can't dwell on that too much, we've got a test match on Thursday against the West Indies, we are back into Test cricket and I am sure when the One Days come around in the summer, we'll speak about them, talk about what we learnt during the World Cup," he said. Flintoff was speaking to the press at an event in Regent's Park in London where he was helping launch the 2007 ASDA Kwik Cricket tournament for children.

ITN Source | May 15, 2007

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