England must be Australia-like: Flintoff

Updated on: 26 August,2009 06:56 AM IST |
PA Sport |

Double Ashes-winning hero Andrew Flintoff will be on crutches for a minimum of six weeks after undergoing knee surgery - but has tipped England to be upwardly mobile following his retirement from Test cricket.

Flintoff (31) underwent a routine arthroscopy and micro-fracture to two small areas in his right knee in London on Monday night.

The recovery period from the operation, carried out by surgeon Andy Williams, is anticipated to stretch into 2010. He will concentrate on being a limited-overs specialist when he does return to action but has urged England to live up to their potential following npower series success against Australia.

"We've won the Ashes, fantastic, but if lessons can be learnt from the past, it is now is the time to try to dominate as a Test team," Flintoff said.

"We've got the players to do it, we've got the captain to lead us, and it's a realistic goal. Enjoy this celebration, get it out of the system, and then move on.

"Almost be Australia-like in the way they have gone about it - they have won series in the past and continued to beat people. There are a lot of challenges in front of the team, but with what we've got we can live up to it."
Flintoff claims he was always confident England would win in London last week despite the Headingley humiliation he missed before that which gave Australia the advantage at 1-1. "A draw or loss wasn't an option," said Flintoff.

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