Donald urges Flintoff to modify action

Allan Donald, England's bowling coach, has said that Andrew Flintoff risks further injuries unless he modifies his bowling action. Donald watched Flintoff bowl for Lanchashire in a Twenty20 match against Gloucestershire to assess his progress after another ankle operation.

"I went down to the ground specifically to have a look at Freddie. I sat on the scaffolding with my binoculars to have a look at him bowling. He talked to me during the Old Trafford Test when he was still on crutches and asked whether we needed to work on getting his front foot straight. It's a major issue that could creep up again in the future," Donald said.

"His front foot [his left, on landing] points inwards and then he twists over it and it turns straight as he goes over the top. Therefore there is counter-thrusting, where bone and muscle are working against each other, so it could be a long-term worry. It is not something that I am going to start working on modifying. It would have to be done in the close season. It is up to Freddie to decide. On Saturday he hadn't changed his action.

"At the moment he is bursting at his seams, happy to be playing again. The selectors and Peter Moores are delighted to have him back bowling and he will make a massive difference in the one-dayers."

Flintoff is on course to make his return to the England team for the ODI series against India, after an eight-week lay-off due to ankle surgery. It is the third operation he has had on his ankle and the second in two years. England announce their squad for the seven-match series later today.