'I'll be fit for the Ashes' - Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff is determined to be fit and firing for the Ashes after having an operation to remove a bone spur in his left ankle. Flintoff missed the current one-day series against South Africa to have the surgery, but he expected to be ready for his first Test against Australia.

"I'll get fit for the Ashes," he told AFP. "It's something I'm really looking forward to."

Flintoff, who was on crutches watching his horse Flintoff run second at Carlisle in north-west England, required cortisone injections to finish the history-making Test series against South Africa and is faced with a four-month recovery. "I've never played a Test match against Australia, although I've played in two or three one-day internationals," he said. "I think my rehab is three or four months, and we don't start until the end of July - so I've got plenty of time."

Flintoff intends to play a couple of games for Lancashire before the first Test, which starts at Lord's on July 21, so he can "hit the ground running". An important weapon if England, the No. 2-ranked Test side, are to stop Australia winning the Ashes for the ninth consecutive time, Flintoff said they would have to be at the top of their games for "the biggest challenge in cricket".

"I truly believe we have a great chance of winning the Ashes," he said. "We are getting closer to them - over the last 18 months since Michael Vaughan has taken over we've improved as a side. It's something the side is excited about."