Flintoff Takes Passage to India on a Long Road to Recovery

Andrew Flintoff admits he is fond of India's "dirty great curries" but he will be seeking a more profound sustenance there in the next few weeks as he looks to rediscover the strength and fitness that made him the finest all-rounder in the world.

Flintoff, who joined the England Lions in Baroda on Sunday, has only fond memories of the country. The pictures of him waving his shirt over his head in 2001 are still paint-fresh in the memory after he had been plucked from the national academy to bowl heroically in Tests in Ahmedabad and Bangalore. Then, in 2006, he scored four successive half-centuries in a drawn Test series and proved an inspirational and tactically astute captain in the absence of the injured Michael Vaughan. Now the broken all-rounder is hoping to heal in this spiritual second home following a fourth ankle operation last October.

Mike Watkinson, the cricket manager of Flintoff's county, Lancashire, revealed last night that the player will be given a walk-on part with the Lions. "I understand that Freddie won't be bowling properly at this stage. But he will be walking through his action to get his arm working again. And he will get plenty of batting in the nets. He looks very fit. And he's been a good influence at Lancashire recently, where he's been really positive about his chances of coming back. We don't see much of Freddie at Old Trafford during the season but we're hoping he will be able to play at the start of the season. That, though, is very much up to the England camp."

After life with the Lions Flintoff, who was 30 in December, will join the Lancashire Academy players in Mumbai. There he plans to brush up on his batting technique against spin. After returning to England he will join Lancashire on their 12-day pre-season trip to Dubai, which starts on March 10. It is in Dubai that he is expected to run in and bowl fast for the first time since his last round of surgery in Amsterdam. "The only thing I'm interested in is getting fit to play for England again," he said. "I want to bowl at 90mph again and be a proper all-rounder."

At the weekend England's Test captain, Vaughan, made it clear that Flintoff would not be considered by England until he could play a full part as an all-rounder, as he did so memorably in the 2005 Ashes series. Flintoff has not played a Test for England since the Ashes series last winter and was clearly unfit when he hobbled through last year's World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa.

After the surgery, which was carried out by Niek van Dijk, one of the world's leading authorities on arthroscopic treatment, Flintoff spent six weeks in the United States with his family and the physio Dave Roberts. He then spent 10 days in South Africa with Roberts. Last month he had a number of batting sessions with Lancashire's bowling machine.

Flintoff is taking his comeback very slowly and even Lancashire's chairman, Jack Simmons, the England and Wales Cricket Board's new chairman of cricket, believes his problems have been caused by not playing enough. He said: "I honestly believe that Freddie's problems have come from him not having the experience of bowling and bowling until his body builds up to what it can take. We mustn't mollycoddle our players. That is one reason why they break down because they don't know what their bodies can take."

Flintoff's brilliant career has been disrupted by injuries. In 2000 he missed part of the West Indies series because of a back stress fracture. There were more back problems in 2001, followed by a hernia operation, a right shoulder injury in 2003 and four ankle operations.

After the Ashes

September 2005 His 402 runs and 24 wickets help England win Ashes

February 2006 Appointed captain for drawn series in India

May 2006 Ankle injury causes Flintoff to miss one-day series against Sri Lanka and Tests against Pakistan

January 2007 Scores 89 in last Test in Sydney during 5-0 Ashes whitewash

March 2007 Pedalo incident mars traumatic World Cup in West Indies

October 2007 Fourth ankle operation