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Flintoff cleans up amid showers
19.08.08Andrew Flintoff began England's new era in one-day cricket with a three-wicket haul between the showers against Scotland to provide hope of an encouraging end to a traumatic summer, before the match was abandoned.
The Lancashire all-rounder made his first one-day international appearance in nearly a year in Monday's historic first meeting at this level between the two great rivals in front of a near capacity 6,000 crowd at the Grange.
It was a low-key return for the 30-year-old, with steady rain halting England's pursuit of an adjusted victory target of 159 after only 2.3 overs, having earlier claimed three for 21 in his eight overs to help restrict Scotland to 156 for nine.
It may have been quite a contrast from his last one-day appearance for England in front of a 30,000 crowd at Lord's against India last summer, but just to see Flintoff back in the blue one-day uniform would have been a tonic for Kevin Pietersen as he officially began his reign as England's captain of the limited-overs side.
In Flintoff's absence with a mixture of side and ankle problems, England have won just five of their last 15 one-day internationals and with a powerful South African side to be faced in the coming weeks, new captain Pietersen is all too aware of his key all-rounder's importance to a possible resurgence in fortunes.
Facing a Scotland line-up including only five players with county experience, Flintoff provided the cutting edge for a new-look England side including debutant Samit Patel and the recalled Matt Prior and Tim Bresnan.
He took a smart catch at slip, ended top-scorer Gavin Hamilton's spirited innings of 60 and then returned for the final overs of an innings reduced to 44 overs to claim two wickets in successive balls.
Flintoff will face far tougher opposition during the NatWest Series against South Africa, which begins with a Twenty20 International at Chester-le-Street followed by five one-day clashes, but the control and hostility he provided gave England an added dimension in the absence of the injured Ryan Sidebottom.
Pietersen preferred to use James Anderson and Bresnan - recalled as cover for the injured Sidebottom and Chris Tremlett after a two-year absence - with the new ball and they quickly established England's superiority to leave Scotland reeling on 11 for three.
Patel set the tone for the early overs with a smart run out of Scotland captain Ryan Watson from mid-wicket in the second over before Bresnan collected scalps in successive overs to remove Durham's Kyle Coetzer and Warwickshire's Nav Poonia, who both edged to slip.
