Now desperate Flintoff misses Sri Lanka Tests

Although the squad for the three Tests will not be announced until later this month, a verdict on the Lancashire all-rounder is due in the next few days after he consulted a new specialist in Holland about his troublesome ankle.

Scroll down to read more:

Flintoff: Fears for future

That is expected to rule him out of the whole Sri Lanka trip. There are also fears he may miss the tour of New Zealand early next year, while the nightmare prospect of him never returning to action is looming larger.

A source close to Flintoff said last night: "Freddie is becoming frustrated and worried. He has not done any training since returning from the World Twenty20 in South Africa and the earliest he could be back is in New Zealand in February, but there's no guarantee of that, either.

Flintoff, 29, has been to Amsterdam to see renowned joint specialist Nick Van Dyke, who has delivered his report to Lord's medical staff, with a judgment being made before the rest of the squad is chosen.

Now a desperate hunt is on for anyone who can guide Flintoff back to the kind of fitness that saw him help win the Ashes in 2005.

A source in the Flintoff camp said: "We are looking anywhere on the planet for help. There might be a surgeon in America, for example, who has encountered something like the problems Freddie is suffering.

"aybe a baseball player or basketball player — anything, to be honest."

Flintoff's management team believe he needs a prolonged rest to help cure the problems that were so evident during the World Twenty20, when he was wincing at the pain caused by his ankle.

While Flintoff was fearing for his future, his team-mates were preparing to face Sri Lanka in the second one-day international in Dambulla knowing they need a vast improvement on Monday's 119-run defeat.

Skipper Paul Collingwood believes spin will play a vital role but is wary of picking both Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, one of the few successes of the opening match.

To that end, Owais Shah spent almost as much time on his off-spin as he did with the bat in the nets yesterday.

The match will see Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya become the first player from any country to play in 400 ODIs.

England (probable): Collingwood (capt), Cook, Mustard (wkt), Bell, Pietersen, Shah, Bopara, Swann, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson.

Sri Lanka (probable): Jayawardene (capt), Jayasuriya, Tharanga, Sangakkara (wkt), Silva, Dilshan, Mubarak, Maharoof, Vaas, Fernando, Malinga.

Umpires: R Koertzen (SA), T Wijewardene (SL).

TV: Live on Sky Sports 1 from 9.30am (10.0 start).