Flintoff's return put on hold

The England all-rounder was due to play for Lancashire's second XI against Yorkshire but has been held back on the advice of the county's medical team.

The latest comeback from knee surgery by Andrew Flintoff, has been delayed. The England all-rounder, 32, was due to play in a one-day match for Lancashire's second XI against Yorkshire but has been held back on the advice of the county's medical team. However, Flintoff, who has not played since a major knee operation last August and underwent further surgery in January, could still play in a three-day game against the White Rose second string starting tomorrow.

"Nothing's happened. It's just a case of [medical staff] being happy with the level of conditioning around the knee and his general body so that when he does play he's at minimum risk of getting injured again," Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, told The Guardian. "It's been a long rehab so far, and what they're making sure is that it's not rushed. It's got to be right. They think, at the moment, that he's not quite ready and ruled him out of the one-dayer, [because there is] slightly more violent running round in a one-dayer.

"They'll assess where he is for the rest of the week." * Agencies