London, July 29 (Inditop.com) England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff needed two more injections and has been sleeping with an ice-pack around his right knee to ensure his participation in the ongoing Ashes test series.
All the evidence suggests that the medical treatment is working and that the all-rounder will be ready to build on his man-of-the-match performance at Lord’s by taking on Australia again at Edgbaston in the third Test starting Thursday.
An England team spokesman said that Flintoff was given a jab last Friday to lubricate his troublesome knee and received another dose of cortisone in the same area two days ago, The Times reported.
Flintoff, who needed three injections before Lord’s, has also been wearing through the night a high-tech knee compression that is attached via tubing to a machine by his bedside that pumps water and ice around the joint to aid recovery.
“It gets in the way a little bit,” Flintoff said. “After the Lord’s Test my knee was a bit sore, but I have been icing it and getting treatment from Dave Roberts [the Lancashire physiotherapist]. I bowled in some discomfort at Lord’s, but I still sent down my overs and got through.”
Although Flintoff sat out the game of football that precedes every practice, he was close to full pace Tuesday when he bowled on the outfield afterwards under the supervision of Kirk Russell, the England physiotherapist.
Flintoff subsequently batted and bowled in the nets with a belt-and-braces approach to his knee, which was heavily strapped with crepe bandaging beneath a standard elasticated support.
rounak