Colly - Be careful with Fred

Flintoff's bowling impresses England team-mate

Last updated: 8th May 2008

Colly - Be careful with Fred

Flintoff: dismissed Collingwood on Thursday

I am not an England selector. But from what I have seen this week he is pretty much back to his best with the ball.

Andrew Flintoff
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Paul Collingwood has urged caution despite admitting Andrew Flintoff is bowling well enough to return to England's Test team.

Collingwood is playing against Flintoff in the ongoing Lancashire versus Durham County Championship fixture.

Flintoff, who is coming back from a fourth operation on his left ankle, has taken seven wickets during the opening two days, including England one-day skipper Collingwood caught behind on Thursday evening.

"I am not an England selector. But from what I have seen this week he is pretty much back to his best with the ball," said Collingwood.

"What I have faced over the past few days has been scary stuff and some exceptional bowling.

"He has certainly enjoyed that wind up his backside this week and ran in really hard. It's been impressive.

"He has bowled at around about 90mph and got the ball to shape away a bit.

"Like Freddie always does he hits areas that are very difficult to score off never mind defend.

"Whether he has had enough overs under his belt, who knows. You will have to ask Freddie himself how the ankle feels.

"We do have to be careful. Obviously Freddie has had a few operations on that ankle and we don't want to rush him back too soon."

Flintoff's poor batting form this season - including a pair against Durham - casts doubt on whether he will be recalled for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand, which starts at Lord's on May 15.

If he is selected it is likely to be batting no higher than seven, and possibly as low as eight, in a four-man bowling attack.

Concerned

On the batting issue Collingwood continued: "I am sure he is a little concerned with the batting and he would probably have liked a few more runs than he has got. But he is one of those types of batters who can click with just one shot.

"He is destructive on his day. He can get one ball out of the middle and then it just clicks again. I am sure that it is some of the wickets that he has played on as well.

"This time of year they are difficult to play on. I am not trying to make excuses for him but there are some difficult conditions for batting out there.

"I can tell you that having batted on them myself over the past few weeks. Hopefully that big innings for him is just around the corner."

Collingwood's own form is probably worse. He has scored just 32 runs in five innings in all forms of the game. His highest score was a 25 against Derbyshire in the Friends Provident Trophy last Friday.

He continued: "I have never really got going in the last few games. I have only played four or five games for Durham and have not yet made a contribution for them.

"That is perhaps more disappointing than getting form ahead of the Test match. I am sure that everybody has got me down as the first one off the team sheet but I am a battler.

"It is disappointing not to score runs but the big ones could be just around the corner."