England hopeful over Flintoff's fitness

London:

Andrew Flintoff can recover from his latest knee problem to feature in this week's second Ashes test against Australia, England coach Andy Flower said on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old all-rounder had a precautionary scan on his right knee, which was operated on earlier this year after he suffered discomfort during his spell in the Indian Premier League.

But after seeking medical advice from the surgeon who conducted the operation, Flower is optimistic he can recover in time to take his place in the side on Thursday at Lord's. "Fred saw his surgeon and he is quite optimistic about him playing in this test match," Flower said.

"He had an injection on Monday and we're letting it settle down so he won't bowl and just have a bat but he will bowl on Wednesday and we'll see how he is and make a decision from there.

"Fred knows his body quite well now and he will know after training in the next couple of days whether he will be able to make a contribution to this test."

England has included Steve Harmison in the squad as cover, but could consider playing Ian Bell as an extra batsman should Flintoff fail to recover to strengthen their batting options.

Flintoff missed the test and one-day series against West Indies earlier this summer while he recovered from his operation and played several matches for Lancashire to regain his fitness prior to the start of the Ashes.