Andrew Flintoff nears http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lancashire-c806 return, named in Chennai squad
Andrew Flintoff, the talismanic England all-rounder whose contribution to the side’s two most recent Ashes victories cannot be underestimated, is moving closer to a return to cricket after almost 12 months on the sidelines.
As England have gone from strength to strength on the back of vanquishing http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 to reclaim the precious urn on home soil last summer, Flintoff (who retired from Test cricket at the end of the series) has been reduced to the role of spectator due to his lengthy recovery from two knee operations.
Indeed, Flintoff hasn’t played competitive cricket since the deciding Ashes Test at The Oval almost a year ago. But after missing England’s World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean, as well as their resurgence as an ODI side, the 32-year-old is edging closer to beginning the long process of pushing for a place in what has, in his absence, become a settled England team in the limited overs formats.
It’s a journey that will begin with his county side, Lancashire, and he is under no illusions that he’ll immediately return to the top of the game.
"I'm going to have to play in [the Lancashire] second team first and force my way back into the first team,” Flintoff told Sky Sports News.
“It's been a long road with the rehab since then but I'm hoping to play again in the next few weeks. I'm back in the nets at Lancashire and from nowhere I've found the ability to bat again which is encouraging, I'm hitting the ball.
“It's been so long, and I'm now starting to get excited and chomping at the bit to start," Flintoff said.
Even as he approaches a year out of international cricket, the power of Flintoff’s past match-winning deeds have been enough for the Chennai Super Kings to name him in their preliminary squad for the 2010 Champions League - which is due to take place in September - despite the fact Flintoff’s injury woes kept him out of the team during their victorious 2010 Indian Premier League campaign.
Flintoff, who was purchased by the Chennai Super Kings for a record $1.5million at the 2009 IPL player auction, has only played three matches for CSK so far, with a knee injury prematurely ending his IPL season in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 during 2009 and his current problems ruling him out of the most recent season of the competition.
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