No second thoughts about retirement: Flintoff by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	KP Pietersen, A Flintoff
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

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DateLine: 21st July 2009

 

Man-of-the-match for his fifer against Australia at Lord's, Andrew Flintoff insists his latest Ashes heroics will not prompt a change of mind on his forthcoming retirement.

 

This was Flintoff's first five-wicket haul at Lord's and what an occasion for the effort as it helped condemn Australia to their first defeat at HQ since 1934.

 

Last week he announced his intentions to retire from Test cricket at the end of the current series and the Lancashire all-rounder is not about to backtrack.

 

"It's been a good Test match and a real team performance, there were some very special performances in this Test," he told Sky Sports.

 

"It's nice to get five wickets this morning and take the plaudits but it has been a real team effort."

 

Flintoff said he did not wanted to give up the ball to skipper Andrew Strauss as the Aussie wickets started to tumble.

 

"There was no chance!" he said. "He would have been on a losing battle there."

 

He insisted that he is content to see out the Ashes series before stepping down from Test cricket.

 

"I've got three more Tests left and will obviously give my all in them. It's going to be hard to get through them but I'm confident I'll do it and then after that I'm looking forward to playing one-dayers and Twenty20," he added.

 

The real concerns though is about his fitness as England team director Andy Flower admitted there are real concerns over his, and said England's Ashes talisman will not be picked for next week's Edgbaston Test if he is not going be fit for a full five days.

 

"He's got to be able to guarantee he can last a full game," said Flower. "We'll get medical advice to see if that is a probability."

 

Flintoff is not England's only injury concern. Even star batsman Kevin Pietersen is struggling with the Achilles problem.

 

"He's been struggling with that Achilles and been in a lot of pain. There is a break between the second and third Test to assess how he is," Flower said.