23 Jul 2009

Flintoff to play through pain

8:40 am on 23 July 2009

Andrew Flintoff insists only a "very, very serious" injury will stop him firing the England cricketers' bid to regain the Ashes from Australia.

The 31-year-old's man of the match performance, when he bagged a five-wicket haul in England's dramatic second Test victory over Australia at Lord's, came despite the pain of a persistent knee problem.

There remains doubt over Flintoff's fitness for the third Test at Edgbaston but he says he's determined to go flat out for the remaining three Tests, after which he will retire from the long form of the game.