Flintoff finally finds consistency

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Noisy test for England's commitment to the cause

With less than eight months to go before England begin their attempt to win the World Cup, and with perhaps only half a squad in place, the quest to establish a team capable of a genuine challenge might appear some way from fruition. Since taking the helm in October 1999, the coach, Duncan Fletcher, and the captain, Nasser Hussain, have shuffled 37 names in 47 one-day internationals, establishing neither continuity nor confidence in a side whose 44-run win over Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Thursday evening was their first in limited-overs cricket on home soil in almost two years.

However, irrespective of how many vacancies remain to be filled in the 14-man party that travels to South Africa in February, England have at least one solid reason to believe they can make a significant impact. It was a reason boldly underscored by the player whose individual input was the key to Thursday's victory, on which England will hope to build when they take on India in their second NatWest Series match at Lord's today.

If Andrew Flintoff can play as he did at Nottingham when he struck a thunderous 50 off 28 deliveries and followed that by taking three wickets in the decisive phase of Sri Lanka's reply, England could ruffle more than the odd feather in their attempt to loosen Australia's grip on the one-day crown.

The Lancashire all-rounder's rumbustious display revealed nothing new from one of the game's most dangerous competitors, whose destructive capabilities have been a bar-emptying attraction ever since, as a 20-year-old still to earn his county cap, he hit 61 off 24 balls in a Championship match against Surrey at Old Trafford in 1998.

All that has been lacking subsequently has been consistency, both of performance and fitness, but Flintoff believes that he is as close to achieving both as he has been in his career. "All the time you are looking for the consistency to make you a world-class player," he said after accepting an unanimous man of the match award in front of a 15,000 full-house at Trent Bridge.

"I've been striving for it since I first started playing for England. Of late I'm getting closer, I think, especially with the ball. I think the ball came out quite well in the Test series against Sri Lanka."

It came off the bat pretty well on Thursday, giving rise to suggestions his potential to crush opposition spirits should be deployed higher in the order, giving him the chance to be a factor in the opening 15 overs by batting at three. Hussain, however, will resist such calls, believing Flintoff's current role is ideal. "I don't know anyone who hits the ball harder than Freddie," Hussain said. "We know what he's capable of because we have to bowl at him in the nets and it's hugely exciting to see him do it in the middle.

"But we feel he is such a valuable asset when the game is set up as it was by Alec Stewart and Ronnie Irani it would be a waste to use him at the top of the order when he might get a good ball or nick it. That's why we bat him where we do because he is such a commodity coming in late in the order and hitting the old ball."

The Sri Lankan captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, said that Flintoff's half-century, the fastest by an England player in a one-day international, was the difference between winning and losing for his accomplished side and Flintoff admitted the circumstances had provided him with the perfect platform following the 95-run partnership between Stewart and Irani.

It was a great time for me to come in," he said. "The way Alec and Ronnie set things up for me meant I had free rein. I have a definite role to play coming in down the order and playing as I did today and I'm happy with that because I'm making a contribution to the team.

"It was probably my best all-round performance in a one-day match. I enjoyed what I did with the bat and although I did not bowl too well at the start, getting hit for a few more runs than I would have liked, to come back and get two wickets in the one over to maybe seal the match was equally pleasing."

It will please all England supporters that performances of the like are now occurring with greater frequency than in the past.

Much of his troubles stemmed from unfocussed ambitions and his much-mocked battle with the scales, which was a contributory factor to a chronic back injury. At around 16 stones, however, he now weighs in at almost three stone lighter than two years ago and after a winter of physical and psychological hard work Flintoff appears to have made a significant step forward.

Thursday's heroics came reassuringly close on the heels of his maiden Test century against New Zealand in Christchurch and his series-squaring, shirt-stripping performance with the ball against India in February's one-day international in Bombay.

"To be doing this week in, week out would be something nobody could do really, but you set your standards high and you want to constantly improve," he said. "But the way I feel at the moment I think I'm getting closer to becoming what I want to become and perhaps what people want me to become as well."