Flintoff ready to get back to cricket

A jaded Andrew Flintoff faced the cameras at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore, having finally joined up with his team-mates ahead of next week's first Test in Multan. For Flintoff, it was the end of one chapter and the start of another, as he prepared to put behind him six weeks of Ashes-related celebrity stardom, and get back to doing what he does best.

"I'm just looking forward to playing cricket, to be honest," Flintoff told the assembled media upon arrival, as a blaze of camera-flashes confirmed once again that his standing in the game has gone stratospheric since the Ashes. "It's been a bit hectic back home for one reason or another. I'm pleased to be out here now so that I can get away from everything."

Since carrying England to victory over the Australians, Flintoff has been living a social whirl of a lifestyle, not least his trip Down Under for the Super Series, and he seemed slightly wistful as he admitted to the "life-changing experience" that he underwent last summer.

"The important things haven't changed," he stressed. "I've still got the same family, the same friends, and I still do the things I always did. The attention from the man in the street has changed, but the things that mean the most haven't. I want to start playing cricket again, because that's the one thing I'm comfortable doing, not TV shows or photo shoots."

The biggest wrench for Flintoff, however, was the prospect of leaving his family back home for six weeks. "A lot of the lads have got young families, and saying goodbye two days ago was probably the hardest thing of all. The cricket is going to be hard but the homesickness is probably going to be equally tough. I've not spent any long period of time away from Holly since she was born, but I've just got to get on with it."

Ironically, the man on whom Flintoff will rely the most for support is his closest friend in the squad, Steve Harmison, a man well known for his frequent bouts of homesickness. It was on the Under-19 trip to Pakistan in 1996-97 that their friendship was forged, when Flintoff, as captain, arranged for Harmison to fly home early.

"The roles could be reversed this time," Flintoff admitted. "Harmy didn't last long on that occasion, and though I'm not planning on going home, we both have close families and I think we're going to be looking after each other a little bit in that respect." When asked what his single greatest experience since the Ashes had been, Flintoff was unequivocal - the news that his wife, Rachael, was expecting a second baby. Family values course through his veins.

Mind you, the England team is very much like a second family to Flintoff, and normality had been quickly resumed since his arrival. "I've only spent an hour or so with the lads, but it's pretty much where I left off," he said. "The new lads are fitting in well, and a trip like this enhances team spirit, because we spend a lot of time in each other's pockets, and come closer as a side."

On Saturday, the second and final warm-up match begins at Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore, and though his immediate concern was getting some sleep, Flintoff felt he would be pretty swiftly into the groove. "Pakistan is a new challenge, so I've got my eyes wide open, and I'm ready for a fresh start," he said. "Once I get in the nets I can do a lot in a few days. Come the first Test, I'll be ready to play, and whatever my workload, I'll take it on and do whatever Vaughny asks of me."