Flintoff ups the ante

Andrew Flintoff admitted it is time he started to "perform properly" as England bid to regain lost pride in the fourth npower Test against South Africa at the Brit Oval.

The Lancashire all-rounder has been on the losing side in his first two matches back for England following his well-documented injury problems, with the hosts beaten at Headingley Carnegie and Edgbaston to seal South Africa’s series win.

Flintoff shone with the ball in the third-Test defeat last week, but he insists he has to start firing on all cylinders for his country.

"Two defeats is not the way I envisaged coming back with England. I didn't wait 18 months to get beaten," he said.

"It wasn't ideal but in a perverse way the first one at Headingley I enjoyed in the sense of being back around the lads, playing in front of a big crowd and playing for England.

Andrew Flintoff has shone with the ball on his return but he says there is more to come

Buy this photo

"I just wish the outcome had been slightly different because for six months I've had to work so hard to get back in the side. I am enjoying being there.

"I've had a start, I've bowled some overs and I've batted okay, but now I need to start performing properly.

"Before this ankle operation, I thought if I didn't think I could recapture the form of previously I wouldn't have put myself up for all of this.

"I feel I can do that. I feel I am getting there. But I can rattle on as much as I can about it. I've got to start doing it out on the field."

England are 2-0 down in the series with just one game left to play, but Flintoff claims the game is still important as Kevin Pietersen's reign as captain gets under way.

Flintoff added: "People go on about the Ashes next year; we've got Thursday to concentrate on. We've got beaten twice by South Africa and we've got to pull it around a bit.

"It is not a dead rubber. Maybe it is in the context of the series, but we are playing for England and we are certainly playing for pride. It is not measured by a trophy or a cheque. There is a lot for us to play for as cricketers.

"For a start, we've got to score more runs in the first innings of a Test match than we have in the last two to give ourselves a decent chance.

"As a group of players we've got to perform. We've got to put some pressure on South Africa."