We can give Fred a perfect send-off

We all know how much of a difference a fully fit Andrew Flintoff makes to the side so yesterday’s announcement this ashes series will be his last in Test cricket is extremely disappointing. But all of us in the England dressing room are determined to make sure we can give Fred the send-off he deserves by winning back The Ashes.

That would be great not just for him but all of us. Fred’s had a tough career with injuries, he’s a

great person to have in the dressing room and we’re all hoping he can stay fit for the rest of the summer.

Looking at what happened in Cardiff, it was obvious for all to see we did not play well, there’s no hiding behind that. But we also have to take a lot of credit for saving the game. Many of us, myself included, didn’t contribute enough but, even though we failed individually, we stuck together as a team and Team spirit will be key if we are to reclaim the Ashes displayed the spirit which is within this group of players.

You can’t quantify team spirit, it’s that magical thing which can make average teams good and good teams great. Many teams would have had their spirit broken in Cardiff given what we went through and the situation we found ourselves in on the final day. We weren’t broken and for that, we head into today’s second Test full of confidence. Yes, we need to up our game and our skills but we’ve got the chance to start afresh with a clean slate at lord’s and we intend to make the most of it.

May be part of the problem in Cardiff was nerves, there was such a big build-up to this series and that can sometimes affect you. But with that first game out of the way, we’re relishing this second chance.

Onions in Harm’s way as England keep faith

England are poised to follow Steve Harmison’s blueprint for success against Australia despite overlooking the Durham fast bowler for the opening Npower Ashes Test. Harmison claimed six wickets for England lions last week, causing the Australians real problems in their warm-up match at Worcester.

That display was not enough to persuade the selectors to include him in their 13-man squad for Cardiff, although the short-pitched bowling he used to remove 20-year-old opener Phil Hughes in both innings will be utilised by those who do make the line-up. ‘Steve did come into the discussion but we’ve also got other bowlers who can do that as well,’ said national selector Geoff Miller. ‘It wasn’t just a fact it was Steve who did it, it showed us an area maybe Hughes has a problem with.’

England have picked Durham’s graham Onions and batsman Ian Bell alongside the team who drew with Warwickshire last week. ‘Steve bowled really well at Worcester but the thinking was graham Onions has got possession of the position and we are consistent with our selection policy so he got the nod,’ Miller added. Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar is included after taking three wickets against Warwickshire. Miller said: ‘It’s a strange thing, spin, because you can bowl well and not get wickets, then from nowhere you can just get a five-for and Monty’s that sort of performer.’

Flintoff warned there is a time and place to party

ANDREW STRAUSS admits Andrew Flintoff must learn when it is appropriate to hit the booze. But the England captain insists poortime-keeping, rather than alcohol,was to blame for the all-roundermissing Saturday’s team bus to anouting in Belgium.

Flintoff failed to make the start of the organised trip to the graves near Ypres to pay respect to servicemen who fought in World War One, instead getting a taxi to catch up with the rest of the squad. The 31-year-old has since been disciplined by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) but it is not the first time his off-field behaviour has come under the spotlight.

Flintoff lost the vice-captaincy of England’s one-day team after the infamous pedalo incident in St Lucia during the 2007 World Cup. And Strauss said: ‘It’s a punctuality issue. He missed the bus but played a full part in the rest of the day’s activities and seemed fine. ‘We had a team dinner [the previous night] and alcohol wasn’t banned but there’s no reason to suspect anything untoward happening.’

Strauss believes Flintoff is aware of his responsibilities and added: ‘I think it’s something he’s been working very hard on, he generally recognises when the times are to drink and when not to drink. ‘It’s important, career-wise, he stays on the right side of that. ‘The vast majority of the time he has done and as he’s got older he has become more and more aware of when the right times are. ‘Of course there have been incidents with Fred before but for us to start looking back on that would be completely wrong at this stage.

‘Freddie accepts he made a mistake and the appropriate action has been taken and we move forward. ‘Punctuality has been an issue recently with a few players and it’s something we’re trying to iron out.’