Moores to rekindle exhausted Flintoff's passion

Peter Moores, the new England coach, plans to hold talks with Andrew Flintoff in a bid to rekindle his passion for the game following a tortuous winter in Australia and the Caribbean.

Flintoff's immense workload over the past six months has clearly left him exhausted, prompting some to suggest he is a spent force. Incidences off the field involving alcohol haven't helped his cause either but Moores is determined to nurture him back into the force he once was.

"I will be speaking to Andrew in the next week to find out where he is coming from and what helps him play the way he likes," Moores told the BBC. "You try to get the individual comfortable playing for their country where they can produce their best.

"Every time I have met Andrew, he is a positive man and he loves the game. He loves playing for his country. We have seen him play some unbelievable innings and bowl some unbelievable spells for England. We have a player who has played some fantastic aggressive vibrant cricket.

"The key is to get that out of him again and get him enjoying the game again."

Moores' comments follow those of David Lloyd, Flintoff's old friend, former coach and mentor who is convinced that his problems - on and off the pitch - stem from the sheer quantity of cricket. Lloyd, speaking to yesterday's Daily Mail is further concerned of the workload facing Flintoff over the next 12 months.

"If he carries on as he is, something has to give and his career will be cut short," Lloyd said. "I saw Ian Botham burn out and I don't want to see the same happen to Fred. Looking at the year ahead, England have a full summer of one-dayers and Tests against West Indies and India, followed by the Twenty20 World Cup, then one-dayers and a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in December. As far as I'm concerned he cannot do all that."

Lloyd suggested that resting Flintoff might be the only way to prolong his career, in what is a packed international schedule - especially if England want him fit for the next Ashes series in 2009.

"Sure, the public want to see the best side out on the park all the time," he said. "But it's about the best players playing at their best. He should miss the Twenty20 World Cup and the one-dayers in Sri Lanka and have a proper long break from playing cricket when he should rest, work and train to gear himself up for the next four-year cycle."

Another of England's charges to have suffered in the past year is Marcus Trescothick and, like Flintoff, Moores is keen to get him back in the squad. "The fact he is playing again for Somerset is a massive positive," he said. "He is another one I need to talk to. The key for Marcus is that he is really comfortable and performing at the right level to get back into the England team.

"We all know the player he can be, both in one-day and Test match cricket."

Moores takes up his post, replacing Duncan Fletcher, on May 1. England's first Test of the summer, against the West Indies at Lord's, begins on May 17.