Flintoff ready to shine

Andrew Flintoff has made a return to form under England captain Kevin Pietersen

Andrew Flintoff has the chance to establish himself as the world’s best all-rounder this winter - providing he can prove himself capable of playing match-winning innings in India.

The 30-year-old Lancashire all-rounder enjoyed a spectacular resurgence at the end of the English summer, winning the man-of-the-series award for his outstanding performances during the 4-0 NatWest Series triumph over South Africa.

His displays prompted captain Kevin Pietersen to claim he was playing “some of the best cricket I’ve ever seen him play,” and confounded predictions that Flintoff would struggle to regain former glories after more than a year out with ankle and side injuries.

But the acid test for Flintoff’s return to form as he prepares for a gruelling seven-match one-day series spanning just 19 days is whether he can deliver on Indian soil.

In 11 one-day internationals in India since 2002, Flintoff averages just 20 with the bat and has hit just one-half century during that period with spinners claiming his scalp in eight of those 11 innings.

It is a weakness Flintoff is aware of and he has been concentrating on improving his technique with England batting coach Andy Flower, England manager Phil Neale and former England left-hander Neil Fairbrother, who is now his agent, in the build-up to this tour.

“I’ve been working hard on opening my game up a little bit more against spin, particularly with Andy because he was one of the best players in the world against spin,” said Flintoff.

“I’ve known Phil a long time, I’ve been on under-19 tours and A tours with him and I’ve had some good chats with him about my batting because he’s seen a lot of it.

Flintoff says he is enjoying his cricket ahead of England's one-day series in India this month

“We’ve been going to the nets and he’s been throwing balls at me and he’s helped me get back to basics - watching the ball hard and keeping my balance and playing to my strengths.

“That was pretty much what I was doing at the end of last season and it worked. The big thing now is that I’ve got a plan of how I want to play - when you’re not playing too well you’ve got so many shots going through your mind you almost panic and want to score runs as quickly as you can.”

Those sessions underlined Flintoff’s desire not to live on the memories of the 2005 Ashes series and enjoy the latest phase to his career under Kevin Pietersen’s style of captaincy.

“One of the things I was determined to do when I came back into international cricket was that I wanted to enjoy it,” he explained. “I knew there was going to be pressure on me but cricket’s not life or death, it’s a game and it’s to be enjoyed.

“Possibly for a period I lost that enjoyment. I’m in a privileged position because I’m playing cricket for England but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts and it always helps when you’re doing well but I’m in a very good place at the moment.”

He added: “There were a lot of different circumstances which dictated I wasn’t enjoying my cricket as much as I should have done. There was what happened in the World Cup and when you’re not playing well or injured it’s very tough.

“I’m now coming back after my fourth operation so all this is almost like a bonus. I don’t know how long I’ll play for but I’m determined to enjoy it while it lasts.”