Injury fiasco puts Flintoff World Cup hopes in jeopardy

If Andrew Flintoff wishes to play in next year's World Cup he is unlikely to have himself a very merry Christmas. After being sent home from Australia, following his failure to recover from a double hernia operation in August, Flintoff is now up against the clock if he wants to travel to South Africa. With the tournament starting in February, the England all-rounder will need to spend more time in a gym getting fit than in the pub getting fat.

The fact that the 25-year-old is still unfit after three months beggars belief, especially when the selectors believed he would be ready to play a full part in the Ashes series that started on 17 October. Someone, somewhere has got things terribly wrong. Whether it is the medical staff, on whose advice Flintoff was selected in the first place, the selectors, for choosing him when they were fully aware of the dangers of picking an unfit player, or Flintoff himself, for not being as professional as he should have been in his rehabilitation, is open to debate.

This sorry saga has undermined the focus of the England squad, as they attempt to live with the best side in the world, and raised doubts over the management.

In England, Flintoff may be out of sight, but he will not be out of mind. With the selectors having to announce their final 15 for the World Cup by 31 December, Flintoff's name will crop up across the dinner table during the festive season. Between now and then, though, he has little time, and no chance, to prove his fitness.

The selectors, therefore, find themselves in the same situation as they were before they announced the Ashes party in September. After listening to the surgeon who performed the operation and the England and Wales Cricket Board's newly appointed chief medical officer, Dr Peter Gregory, they will decide if Flintoff has any chance of appearing in the tournament.

The one saving grace for Flintoff and the selectors is that he can be replaced should he fail to prove his fitness in January and there is a chance he could join up with the Academy who regroup in Adelaide on 10 January after their Christmas break.

Explaining their decision to send Flintoff home the England coach Duncan Fletcher said: "He is making no progress. He has been checked out over here in Australia and a problem cannot be found. He is going back to see the medical guys who operated on him because they should have a good idea of what is going on. We want him 100 per cent fit before the World Cup."

With England's tour of Australia going as poorly as it has, Flintoff has become a pawn in a war of words over where the blame for his condition lies. Criticism has been aimed at the England medical staff and the management team while the chairman of the ECB, Lord MacLaurin, has placed the blame at the feet of the player himself.

In response to such accusations Flintoff said: "There has been no foundation to these stories. I have done my rehab and everything that has been asked of me. Missing out on the cricket out here is a massive blow, but there is something not quite right and I need to go home and sort it out. If it gets me all right for the World Cup then I have to do it."

Adam Hollioake has been called up to replace Flintoff and becomes the 31st player England have required on this tour. The Surrey captain and all-rounder has been spending the off-season in Perth. He will join the squad in Melbourne and is available for England's second one-day match against Australia on Sunday.