Flintoff is urged to take it slowly.

Byline: CARL MARKHAM

ENGLAND all-rounder Andrew Flintoff remains optimistic of making his long-awaited comeback from injury but has not set himself a timescale after his domestic season was ended without him playing a match.

The 32-year-old has not played since the final Ashes Test almost a year ago, after which he underwent two operations on his right knee and his comeback for Lancashire 2nd XI this week was aborted as a precautionary measure.

His county have now ruled him out for the remainder of the domestic season - which in reality is only six weeks - in order for him to continue rehabilitation work.

Flintoff will miss Sunday's Clydesdale Bank 40 game against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay.

This latest setback also rules him out of next month's Twenty20 Champions Trophy in South Africa where he was due to play for Chennai Super Kings.

The Indian Premier League franchise named him in their provisional squad but he had until this Friday to prove his fitness.

Flintoff, his medical advisors and his county have opted for the pragmatic step of withdrawing him from consideration as they take a long-term view.

They felt it was better for him to be fully right rather than come back less than 100% fit and risk aggravating a problem.

Sources close to Flintoff have been quick to stress there has been no recurrence of injury and the condition of his knee has not got any worse.

He is simply being held back to prevent further damage and suggestions his career may be over have been dismissed.

In fact the all-rounder, who quit Test cricket last summer to concentrate on a lucrative one-day career, is currently negotiating contracts to play in Twenty20 tournaments in Australia and possibly New Zealand in January and February.

There is also the distant prospect of playing on England's one-day tour Down Under, although Flintoff is no longer a centrally-contracted player.

Lancashire's cricket director Mike Watkinson believes it makes sense for Flintoff to take his comeback slowly after a number of false dawns and he too is hopeful of seeing him in action soon.

"Whilst Andrew has made significant progress, the combined opinion is that he is not quite ready for a return to cricket," he said.

"He will continue his rehabilitation into the winter months and we will constantly monitor and review his progress so that he is better equipped for a return to action.

"Hopefully he will be able to get back into the game without the risk of a further breakdown - that is what he doesn't want.

"If he made a comeback now and something went wrong, that could maybe spell the end."

Watkinson said: "He's still got some good cricket left in him and he wants to show that.

"It's not an easy road to get himself in the condition he needs to be in, but he's committed to doing that.

"He wants to get back and play cricket, that's behind the reason why he doesn't want to make a rush decision to come back and break down."

It may be when he does make his comeback he may have to restrict his bowling as one medical expert believes that is causing him the majority of his problems.

"The type of scar tissue that forms following the microfracture surgery that Freddie had does not cope with the impact forces that the original cartilage did," said Will Pressley, physiotherapist and CEO of Health and Fitness Solutions in London.

"This is really not a good sign and one unfortunately that suggests he will struggle to bowl seriously again."

CAPTION(S):

Andrew Flintoff ponders his future and (inset) in action during last year's Ashes win