Hussain questions Vaughan comments

In an interview published on Wednesday, current skipper Vaughan was quoted as saying the Lancashire all-rounder's late-night drinking exploits in the Caribbean had damaged England's chances of mounting a successful World Cup bid.

"Andrew Flintoff has paid the price for his mistakes at the World Cup and it is time to move on - which is why the timing of Michael Vaughan's criticism of him, however much he backtracked, was questionable," Hussain told the Daily Mail.

"I can fully understand as a former captain how your comments can sometimes be taken out of context, but I just hope that when Flintoff needs to dig deep for England some time in the future he is able to put this out of his mind.

"Peter Moores (England's new coach) made a big point in saying that the slate was clean for everybody when he took over as coach.

"That should mean the pedalo incident is firmly in the past, even though I was heavily critical of Flintoff at the time, particularly as Freddie will need lifting while he again recuperates from another operation on his left ankle.

"Flintoff was banned, lost the vice-captaincy and, in all probability, any chance he had of leading his country again when he was disciplined in St Lucia.

"But he remains hugely important to England and that, providing he has learned his lesson, should be the end of the matter."