ANDREW Flintoff insists he is carrying no mental scars from his last Ashes series into this summer's battles with Ricky Ponting's side and is determined to make up for lost time after his injury setbacks.
The Lancashire all-rounder was captain when England were thrashed 5-0 during the 2006-2007 series Down Under – a sharp contrast to the euphoria of the 2-1 home triumph in 2005.
But Flintoff is looking forward rather than back and is hoping England
's three-day friendly with Warwickshire at Edgbaston this week will hone his sharpness after his return from a knee problem which emerged when in IPL action.
Flintoff said: "The last Ashes was the low point of my career. You experience the euphoria of 2005 and then the disappointments of 2006-2007. Probably the last series emotionally was the stronger of the two.
"But all that is behind us. We have got a very new team and, rather than dining out on 2005 or dwelling on 2006-2007, it is all about what happens over the next six weeks. Of course, it was tough for a while after losing 5-0 but it has long gone now and a lot of things have happened in my life since 2006-2007. As for any mental scars, I wouldn't say there are a great deal there. I am just looking forward to playing.
"A lot of the lads weren't involved in 2006-2007 but, going into an Ashes series, you don't need any extra incentive. It is the biggest thing for an Englishman to play in. I don't need any extra incentive. I just want to perform."
Flintoff is keen for an elongated spell of action and insists a belief he could be the force he was in 2005 has driven him on through his spells of rehabilitation. He said: "From my point of view, through all the injuries I had, if I didn't think I could come back and play the cricket I played in the past or be better, I don't think I would have done it.
"You miss England more as you get older. When you have missed as much cricket as me, of course you do. I've had something like two years rehab since 2005 and it has been tough.
"The reason you do is to put back on that England shirt to get the chance to play in an Ashes series. I'm not far away from that now but, as you get older, you don't want to miss much cricket because you don't know how much you've got in you."
The opening Test is at Cardiff, starting on 8 July, and Flintoff's England team-mate Kevin Pietersen is warning Australia to expect another trial by reverse-swing this summer, as they did four years ago. "I'm sure the Australians are probably hoping that the weather doesn't stay like this – because Anderson, Broad, Flintoff bowling reverse swing ... I wouldn't want to be facing that," said Pietersen.
England's 2-1 2005 victory was built on their ability to stop huge totals being piled up by Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist et al.
Ponting, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich are all back for another go – and Pietersen predicts they face another difficult time.
"We're going to be really tough to play against," he insisted. "If batters do conquer our reverse-swing, I look forward to watching them."
