Quiet Ashes celebration for Flintoff

All-rounder Flintoff played a crucial role in his final Test, running out Australia captain Ricky Ponting, as England earned a 197-run victory.

The 31-year-old admits he "celebrated hard" after England's last Ashes win but Sunday night's post-series party was "pretty low key by my standards".

"We had a room in the hotel for friends and family and celebrated a memorable day - it wasn't too crazy," he told a press conference.

"I remember 2005 - contrary to popular belief - 2005 was fantastic, it almost snuck up on us.

"I lived for the moment then and celebrated hard. But this time it was something which I savoured.

"It was quite nice - all the families came over. I sat with my wife and my kids, my dad who has done so much for me throughout my career. I was able to have a beer with my dad. It was very different but in a lot of ways far more enjoyable."

A knee injury means Flintoff will only play one-day and Twenty20 cricket in the future.

And Flintoff revealed that winning the final Test inside four days means he will undergo exploratory surgery on Monday night rather than Tuesday as was planned.

"The harsh reality is now that I need to get my knee sorted out. It's made me more determined to get back to playing fit," he added. "Last week was a hard one for me, lots of talks with the surgeon. But the incentive is wearing the three lions and I desperately want to wear them again, albeit in one-day matches and Twenty20s."