England ponder Flintoff comeback

The influential 31-year-old all-rounder has flown home from South Africa, where he was performing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, to undergo keyhole surgery on his right knee and will miss the forthcoming Test and one-day international series against West Indies.

Lancashire's chief executive Jim Cumbes said: "It's a desperate blow for him and I feel incredibly sorry for him. He's had a number of injuries which have affected his career, but at least this one could, by the sound of things, have happened at any time."

Flintoff is due to return for the start of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament, but if he plays in that event and England reach the June 21 final it will restrict him to only one first-class match before the start of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff on July 8.

It leaves new coach Andy Flower and national selector Geoff Miller, who are due to announce the squad for the first Test against West Indies next week, facing a big decision.

They can either give Flintoff three championship matches with Lancashire and miss the ICC event or allow him to play in the tournament and give him just one first-class outing - either for England against Warwickshire in a three-day match at Edgbaston starting on July 1 or in Lancashire's championship match at Trent Bridge starting the day before.

No decision will be made on Flintoff's likely comeback schedule until he has come through another rehabilitation programme with Lancashire physio Dave Roberts, but his county believe the untimely spell on the sidelines is unlikely to have a big effect on his performances later this summer.

"It's swings and roundabouts because Fred will come back full of energy and desperate to play and he won't have been worn down by the schedule, but I'm sure he'd have liked to have played in all the cricket this summer," said Cumbes.

"I've had a cartilage problem myself and I know it's something that happens over a period of time - it's not something that just goes.

"I don't think anyone is to blame at all in this case, it's just a case of Fred being very unlucky and I think everyone hopes he will get back to full fitness as soon as possible."