Flintoff unconcerned by Vaughan furore

England captain Vaughan has been criticised for claiming the drunken antics of Flintoff and some of his team-mates on a night out during the recent World Cup had affected team spirit. Flintoff revealed he and Vaughan met on Wednesday to discuss the interview and the 29-year-old insists their relationship remains as strong as ever.

"We sat down and spoke about a few things and, as far as we're concerned, it's finished," Flintoff said on Sky Sports 1. "We've got a great friendship and something like this, a bit of a storm in a teacup, isn't going to affect that."

He added: "I'm looking forward to getting back on the field, playing under him, as quick as I can."

Star all-rounder Flintoff, currently recovering from his latest ankle operation, was stripped of the vice-captaincy for the incident in which he had to be rescued after falling off a pedalo, infamously dubbed a 'Fredalo'.

Vaughan's comments were dubbed "despicable" by Jim Cumbes, chief executive of Flintoff's county Lancashire but the player himself says he was unaffected by the reports and was keen to hear Vaughan's side of the story.

"Without speaking to him first, it wasn't something I was going to get too flustered about," he said. "I've spoken to him, we've cleared it all up and we'll take it forward from here."

Asked whether he agreed with Vaughan's wider point about the episode's effect on team morale, Flintoff refused to be drawn.

"From my point of view, it's something that happened a while ago," he said. "We addressed the situation at the time. We've all started with a clean slate - a different coach has come in.

"The one thing I'm concentrating on at the moment is not what happened six-eight weeks ago, it's getting back on the field."