Flintoff calls it a day

Andrew Flintoff has retired from cricket after being told his body would not be able to cope with his planned comeback.

The all-rounder has not played since the final Ashes Test last summer and has seen a number of return dates come and go in his fight to overcome a chronic knee problem.

Flintoff had initially planned to play for Lancashire this summer and was reportedly in negotiations to play domestic Twenty20 cricket in Australia and New Zealand, but he has now accepted his professional career is over.

Flintoff, 32, retired from Test match cricket after the Ashes but despite rejecting an incremental ECB contract said he hoped to play for England again in limited-overs cricket.

He also stated he aimed to become the best one-day cricketer in the world and, had he regained match fitness, would have had his pick of offers.

Announcing his decision to give up his fight with fitness, Flintoff said: "It is with both disappointment and sadness that I am announcing my retirement from all forms of cricket.

"The decision to end my career came on Wednesday after consultation with medical advisers. I was told that the problems I have been trying to overcome in rehab for the last year following the latest in a series of operations would not recover sufficiently to allow a comeback.

"Having been told that my body would no longer stand up to the rigours of cricket, I had no alternative but to retire."

Flintoff added. "I would like to thank my family, Lancashire Cricket Club, England, all my sponsors, friends and advisers for all the help and support they have given me throughout my career. Last, but by no means least, I am indebted to the encouragement and support I have always received from England's magnificent supporters.

"I will now be taking a break before deciding which future direction to take."