Flintoff plays down place in history

Looking back on a 79-Test career, of 3845 runs and 226 wickets, when he awoke from Sunday night's celebrations, Flintoff, hero of this country's cricket-loving public, modestly insisted he failed to breach the top bracket of cricketers.

"I have never achieved greatness and I don't profess to," he said. "I was asked 'have you been a great cricketer?' by someone and the obvious answer is no"

He added: "That's the Bothams, the Sobers, the Imran Khans, the Tendulkars, the Ricky Pontings, who achieved greatness over a long period of time, playing Test after Test after Test.

"I have performed at times and I am proud to have done that.

"For the bulk of my career I have played through pain and with injury, so to be out on the field was an achievement in some ways - but as for greatness? No."

England all-rounder Flintoff, 31, was booked in to see his surgeon Andy Williams in London just 24 hours after bowing out of Tests amid the euphoria of a second home Ashes series win.

He will have an arthroscopy on his troublesome right knee, which held up just enough to get him through four of the five matches in the 2-1 victory over Australia, and is as yet unsure as to how long he will be sidelined.

Back in 2005 when Flintoff terminated Australia's 16-year monopoly on the Ashes with his man-of-the-series exploits, it appeared he was on course to emulate the feats of some of those listed.

But four ankle operations and now two doses of knee surgery shattered his dreams and forced a re-think: post-operation he will be restricted to one-day and Twenty20 cricket.