Flintoff under injury cloud

Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of bowling in the first Test against West Indies at Lord's on Thursday, after receiving a cortisone injection in his troublesome left ankle, following an MRI scan carried out in Leeds. He is, however, expected to play in the Test as a specialist batsman.

Flintoff was asked to rest during the early stages of the NatWest Series, following the discovery of a small bony spur on his ankle. England's poor performances in his absence forced the selectors into a rethink, and Flintoff starred with the bat, scoring back-to-back centuries at Headingley and Lord's. It was success at a price, however, and the decision to inject was taken after the scan showed some inflammation in the area.

"I do not expect that the injection will allow Andrew to bowl in this Test match," said Dr Peter Gregory, the ECB's chief medical officer. "However, there is no medical reason why he should not play as a specialist batsman. At this stage, our expectation is that he would be most likely to resume bowling in the second Test.

"Since the last Test against New Zealand, Andrew's condition has improved through rest from all cricket initially, and then by playing as a specialist batsman only. It was reasonable to await the response to rest before considering the injection option as this has been successful in other athletes, and cortisone injections are not without risk."

Judging by the problematic nature of the injury, Flintoff may choose to undergo surgery towards the end of the season, perhaps during England's tour to Zimbabwe in October. But, Gregory added, there was nothing inevitable about such a development. "The expert surgical advice we received was that because the spur is relatively small, rest or injection may reduce the inflammation and as a consequence surgery is not inevitable."