ENGLAND are confident Andrew Flintoff will be fit for the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds despite taunts from Australia captain Ricky Ponting that the home talisman's fitness is visibly deteriorating.
With just three days between yesterday's drawn contest at Edgbaston and the penultimate match of the campaign at Headingley, the 31-year-old will spend the intervening hours resting and icing his injured right knee. Lancashire all-rounder Flintoff wa
s England's match-winner with the ball at Lord's, a result which put the hosts 1-0 up, and enjoyed a return to form with the bat in Birmingham.
He could not follow his 74 with a single wicket, however, as Australia closed out the final day on 375 for five, thanks to Michael Clarke's 12th Test hundred on his 50th appearance.
Flintoff bowled just 11 overs yesterday and none in the final session, and laboured somewhat in the field. England captain Andrew Strauss said: "I suppose at the back of my mind I'm conscious that when the conditions aren't really helping him, there's no point in tearing him to death.
"That's the reason he didn't bowl in the final session and we're still very optimistic he'll be okay for Headingley.
"There is obviously some soreness there, but I don't think there's anything that has deteriorated massively over the course of the game. He needs to rest up well because back-to-back Tests are hard for any bowlers and we'll see how he is on Thursday."
Strauss was disappointed the sniff of victory fizzled out and said: "We came here optimistic we might be able to force a result, so in that sense for the Australians to bat well and absorb the pressure well is a little bit of a letdown for us.
"The conditions didn't help us as we thought they might. We thought it was going to swing around a bit more than it actually did, and as we've seen all match when it's not swinging it's pretty hard to take wickets."
Ponting said of England's main all-rounder: "He bowled so well at Lord's, and what we have seen Flintoff give them with the bat as well was pretty impressive, so having (Kevin] Pietersen and him out of the same side would leave two pretty big gaps in their make-up. Visibly you could see he went downhill pretty quickly through the course of this game, so his injury is probably starting to take a bit more effect than what we actually realised. But we will prepare as if he is going to play and see what happens."
Clarke's second hundred of the series took the team century tallies to 6-1 in Australia's favour and Ponting gained succour from the application of his team. "I think all the guys in our dressing room don't mind being in a position like this," said Ponting.
"That is the thing about the Australian teams – it is when we face the most adversity that we play our best cricket."
Australia, meanwhile, hope wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will be fit to return at Headingley, while fast bowler Brett Lee is also pushing for a recall following a rib muscle tear.
