Flintoff: I won’t pick and choose my England dates
ENGLAND all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has stressed that playing for his country will be his priority when he returns from his latest injury nightmare.
The 31-year-old, who is expected to be out for at least six months following knee surgery, earlier this month drew criticism for refusing a central contract.
But the irreplaceable talisman, who retired from Test cricket in August, insists his main aspiration remains donning the three lions in the shorter forms of
the game.
“I’m available for every England game. Twenty20s and one-day internationals, just not Test matches. England comes first, closely followed by Lancashire,” he said.
“I’ve seen a lot of people saying I’ll be picking and choosing games, but there will be none of that.”
Flintoff, who is currently on crutches, rejected the offer of an incremental deal from the England and Wales Cricket Board, effectively making him a
freelance cricketer.
He has another 12 months left on his Lancashire contract, has a deal to play for Chennai Super Kings in next year’s Indian Premier League, and is also expected to play in other overseas one-day competitions. But Flintoff says he knows where his loyalties lie.
He added: “I’d choose England over everything. If it clashed with the IPL I’d play for England. England is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.”