Flintoff injury 'not fault of IPL'.

ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss refused to blame Andrew Flintoff's stint in the Indian Premier League for the injury which required an operation at the start of an Ashes summer.

The 31-year-old yesterday underwent what the England and Wales Cricket Board described as "routine and successful" keyhole surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee, a knock he sustained while in South Africa with the Chennai Super Kings.

The all-rounder is expected to recover in time for June's World Twenty20 tournament as well as the subsequent Tests and one-day internationals against Australia.

The decision to allow key players to participate in the IPL was always a contentious one, particularly given Flintoff's injury history.

But Strauss said: "I don't think he had a niggle when he went to be fair, it developed while he was over there.

"It's a tricky situation, but you can get injured anywhere, whether he was playing in the IPL or for Lancashire, you can't control that particularly.

"It was a decision for the players themselves as to whether they wanted to go over and play in it and you can understand their decisions as there were big benefits in terms of experiencing Twenty20 cricket." Strauss added: "It's not something you'd hold against a player. It's a tough decision to turn down that sort of money.

"Let's hope his recovery is as swift as possible and that he comes back feeling very comfortable with his body." Flintoff misses the first leg of England's summer, the return visit of West Indies.

Strauss said: "I really felt for Freddie when I heard about this (knee injury) because he had two injuries in the West Indies, he just looked like he was getting back and then he gets injured again.

It's very hard for him to get any real momentum and form.

"It's been a very frustrating few months for Freddie to be fair.

"We really hope that he swiftly recovers from this and by the time the Ashes start he is feeling as fit and healthy as possible."