Flintoff calls time on Test career

Andrew Flintoff today announced he will retire from Test cricket at the end of this summer’s Ashes series.

The 31-year-old has accepted defeat in his long-running battle against injuries and said: “My body has told me it’s time to stop.”

The Lancashire all-rounder, man-of-the-series during England’s stunning 2005 Ashes success, made his announcement today after struggling to overcome a succession of injuries during the last four years.

He has had four ankle operations and is battling to be fit for tomorrow’s second Test at Lord’s but will first hold a press conference there at 12.30pm today.

In the first Test in Cardiff, Flintoff suffered a recurrence of a right knee injury, which follows an operation earlier this year to cure a degenerative problem in the joint which flared up during his stint playing in the Indian Premier League.

That latest injury setback persuaded Flintoff that after 75 Tests for England, during which time he claimed 212 wickets and scored 3,658 runs including five centuries, the time was right to end his Test career and concentrate on playing international cricket at one-day and Twenty20 level.