How Do You Solve a Problem Like Freddie?

When Fred is on form, just about anything is possible. When he isn't England are insipid. With England's vital match against South Africa on the horizon this observation may pile the pressure on Flintoff's once broad shoulders, but it's the stark reality.

Look at the Ashes in 2005, the epic Test win in Mumbai and even the recent Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia - the highlights of England's past 18 months. Flintoff has always been the heartbeat of the side.

But in the Caribbean the team has shown only flickers of life. Indeed, it beggars belief that six weeks after their arrival in the West Indies and without defeating one of the major Test nations, England still have an excellent chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Cup if they can somehow beat South Africa on Tuesday.

Yesterday Duncan Fletcher insisted: 'We are a dangerous side that everyone fears.' His assessment is based on England's Commonwealth Bank success rather than anything they have achieved in the Caribbean.

But they are only dangerous when Flintoff is on song and so far his contribution has been mediocre. I'm sure he is trying his level best. He is no Achilles withdrawing to his tent for a bit of a sulk, but the spark is missing.

His bowling remains dependable, even if the fire has been doused. But bowling is a mechanical operation and Flintoff has a solid action that repeats easily. So he can produce a reasonable spell without having to drain the very limited reserves of mental energy at his disposal. Batting is a different matter. That requires a sharp, alert mind and the reflexes to adjust at the last moment. You cannot bat on automatic.

Flintoff's last two dismissals have been ugly in the extreme. Against Australia he was stumped, blocking Brad Hogg. Against Bangladesh he premeditated a shot through the covers against Mohammad Rafique and ended up trying to cut a half-volley.

The simplistic conclusion is that Flintoff is a poor player of quality spin. It's not true. Against Shane Warne in 2005 and Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble at Mumbai in 2006, Flintoff was often masterful, relaxed and in control. But now his mind seems numb; he is out of control and this becomes most obvious against slow bowlers because there is time for him to think and make decisions. Currently he is making the wrong ones. At least South Africa have no tricky spinners.

So Flintoff is exasperating one and all. Here is the English champion, who should be at the pinnacle of his powers, in the most important one-day competition and he can't score a run. With England's fate hanging on one match will the real Flintoff have the decency to turn up at the Kensington Oval? If only it were that simple.

So how to explain his decline? The winter's Ashes experience must have been devastating. For two years leading up to the tour he seemed invulnerable to all but the odd injury to his ankle. Maybe like Ian Botham post-1981 he began to believe he was invulnerable, that he could roll up without proper preparation, produce the goods and, in Flintoff's case, effortlessly lead the side in an Ashes series.

His self-confidence, never as blatant or deep as Botham's, took a hammering in Australia. It became apparent that the powers that be wanted to rid him of the captaincy. The pedalo affair well and truly consigned him to the sidelines, where he now sits uneasily. In this squad there is not even a Steve Harmison to fulfil the function of mercilessly taking the mickey out of him, which can be therapeutic.

The pedalo provided light relief in the darkest of weeks, but it was symptomatic of a more serious problem. Flintoff is entitled to the odd big night out, but after a defeat and with another game on the horizon his timing back in St Lucia was desperate. He did not have sufficient self-control to curb his behaviour and there was no one around potent enough to tell him to stop. That is ominous. Have all those advisers become acolytes?

But what to do about Flintoff before Tuesday? Some sages say he should be unceremoniously dumped to bat at eight. On the simple basis that this would delight the opposition this is not a great idea. Should he be promoted instead, cuddled or cajoled? If I had possession of the exact answers I might be another lining up to succeed Duncan Fletcher should England lose .

Fletcher said: 'We have talked about sending Flintoff up to open the batting, but that would bring about huge changes with three or four players moving places in the order. And how would that work if Flintoff had just bowled his 10 overs and there is a shortened interval?'

However, England must be flexible, which is not usually their way. Fletcher confirmed they do have their plans to shuffle the batting order when certain circumstances arise, but early wickets have fallen so regularly we have never been able to witness those changes.

Against South Africa England are in do-or-die territory. So they must give their most destructive batsmen, Kevin Pietersen and, yes, Flintoff despite the slump, the best chance of succeeding; they must have freedom to go for it. Both should pad up earlier than usual - in case the occasion reignites the spark and enables England to pull off a World Cup heist on a par with Pakistan's capture of the trophy in 1992.

Meanwhile, Fletcher clings to the Commonwealth Bank Series as his source of optimism. 'When it came to the crunch we beat two of the best sides in this competition, Australia and New Zealand, in their own back yards. Why can't we do that here?'