Andrew Flintoff makes first appearance since Top Gear crash after joining England back-room staff

Andrew Flintoff has made his first public appearance in nine months after joining England's backroom staff in an unofficial, unpaid role for their four-match ODI series against New Zealand.

Flintoff is recovering from serious injuries sustained while filming for the BBC show Top Gear in December. He was airlifted to hospital after crashing a car at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, when he broke ribs and suffered facial and jaw injuries.

He is close friends with Rob Key, the managing director of England men's cricket, and has gradually returned to the public eye this summer, attending several days of the Ashes series as a spectator, although on those occasions he sought to shield the extent of his injuries from the cameras.

Flintoff arrived in Cardiff overnight and was involved in fielding drills during England's eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand on Friday. He was also seen wearing an England bucket hat while chatting to fellow coaching staff on the dressing-room balcony.

"He's been starting to do some stuff in cricket," said Jos Buttler, England's captain who played alongside Flintoff when he made a comeback for Lancashire in the T20 Blast in 2014. "It's just great for him to be around.

"He's obviously an England legend and it's just nice to have him around the group," Buttler added. "He's not been brought in with any specific role, just to be around and observe. A few of the lads can pick his brains a little bit and he's settled in really well."

Flintoff's involvement is not expected to last beyond the fourth ODI at Lord's next week and he will not travel to the World Cup in India next month.

He has had limited involvement in cricket since leaving the game as a player, beyond occasional work as a broadcaster and commentator.

Flintoff's series-defining contribution to England's victory in the 2005 Ashes made him an icon for several members of their ODI set-up. Those include Liam Liivngstone, who said it was "incredible" to have Flintoff with the squad: "He's obviously been one of my heroes growing up," Livingstone said.

Flintoff's sons Corey (17) and Rocky (14) are both part of Lancashire's age-group sides and he has visited Emirates Old Trafford several times this summer. "I've been around Fred a little bit at Lancashire and he's around a bit more now with his boys coming through there," Livingstone said.

"When you see someone like Fred around, it's always good to chat, especially while [the team is] batting: there's three-and-a-half hours to pick the brains of someone who has been there and done it. He's probably a national hero, so everybody loves that Fred is going to join us for this series."

Livingstone briefly shared a dressing room with Flintoff in 2014, when he played for Lancashire's Second XI while preparing to make his comeback in the Blast. "That was pretty cool as a 20-year-old, playing with Andrew Flintoff in a second-team game at Arundel. He's a great lad to chat with and I'm sure the boys are enjoying having him around."