Flintoff laps up the limelight

Andrew Flintoff dismisses Jacques Kallis en route to excellent figures of 3-21

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Andrew Flintoff is enjoying his rewards to the full, after the “dark times” he spent recovering the form and fitness he needs to be an England lynchpin once again.

A man-of-the-match performance from Flintoff helped England march to a fourth successive NatWest Series victory over South Africa - putting a 5-0 whitewash firmly in their sights.

On a rainy day at Lord’s, there was enough time between the downpours for the all-rounder to take 3-21 as the tourists were restricted to 183 for six in 32.1 overs - and then finish unbeaten on 31 in a seven-wicket win.

Set only 137 on a Duckworth-Lewis recalculation, Kevin Pietersen and Owais Shah - on his home ground - shared a stand of 74, before Flintoff completed the job with 14 balls of England’s 20 overs to spare.

It is all a world away from the months of worry over his physical well-being - after the last of his four operations on his left ankle - not to mention the worrying loss of batting form he endured earlier this summer.

Flintoff makes no secret of how tough the going has been at times, yet is a master of understatement too as he vows against complacency.

“I’m doing all right - but I’m not going to get carried away,” he said, having hit five fours and a six from only 12 balls as England cantered home in the gloom.

“One of the decisions I made when I was coming back after my operation was that if I didn’t think I could play as well as I had done or better I wouldn’t go through it all.

“But the one thing that keeps you going is the thought of having days like today.

“There have been some dark times and some average times. But once you put an England shirt on, you want to keep putting it back on.

“I’m determined to enjoy it - and I am doing. I’m having a great time.”

Flintoff is nonetheless determined to keep his feet on the ground, in a game he knows can come back and bite you any time.

“I think today maybe I could have bowled a bit better, so I’m still being a bit critical of myself,” he added.

“But it’s a stark contrast from the beginning of the season, when I got those four ducks for Lancashire.

Flintoff lashes out during his brilliant 31 off 12 balls to seal victory for England against South Africa

“I was looking round the field back then and all I could see was fielders. I didn’t know where I was going to score a run.”

Flintoff overcame a scare this morning after a long sleep in a soft hotel bed left him with a back spasm which was “nothing serious” and did not appear to hamper him significantly.

Pietersen, certainly, was impressed not just with Flintoff but everyone else in his team. “He’s playing some of the best cricket he’s ever played, and so are some of the others,” said the captain.

“It was a great performance by the lads - they were exceptional again. They were asked to do a job and turned up and delivered. There is nothing more you can ask.

“Winning becomes a habit. When you start winning game after game after game, you start to learn how to win.

“The boys are doing it in training, and then they’re chucking their talent around out there for everybody to see - not just talking about it.”

The next challenge is to complete the clean sweep in Cardiff on Wednesday - a result which would take England up to an all-time high second in the international one-day rankings.

“On Wednesday, we’re going to deliver again,” Pietersen predicted. “We’re going to try our hardest to win 5-0 - because there will be no greater satisfaction than to finish at 10.30pm and know we’re second in the world.

“That will be brilliant for all the players.”

Pietersen’s opposite number Jacques Kallis had significantly less reason for satisfaction - on a day when Herschelle Gibbs’ near run-a-ball 74 was the high point for the tourists.

After his own run of poor form had extended to one run from eight balls as a batsman and 20 runs being conceded as a bowler from one over, Kallis admitted South Africa have been hit hard by their defeats but are determined to fight back.

“Obviously it’s down,” he said of morale. “We pride ourselves on our results - and even though there were positive signs here, we don’t accept losses very well.

“But we hope we can learn quickly and turn things around. We are a good enough side to do that.”