Andrew Flintoff Photo © CricInfo

Andrew Flintoff, the England allrounder who missed the NatWest Series match against Zimbabwe over the weekend and the Second Test Match against West Indies with back problems, is still a problem for the forthcoming return limited-overs match against Zimbabwe at Manchester on Thursday.

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, stated: "It's a major concern that comes and goes. The physio (Don Conway) is going to put a process in motion to find out just what is going on with it".

Flintoff's role is particularly important because he bats in the middle/lower-order whose vulnerability was a main cause of England's defeat by Zimbabwe at The Oval.