Andrew Flintoff

The Lancastrian is a vital member of England's one-day squad and now contributes as much with the ball as with the bat when fully fit. The powerful all-rounder scored the fastest ODI half-century by an England batsman against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 2001 NatWest Series, taking just 28 balls.

The Lancastrian is a vital member of England's one-day squad and now contributes as much with the ball as with the bat when fully fit. The powerful all-rounder scored the fastest ODI half-century by an England batsman against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 2001 NatWest Series, taking just 28 balls.

He was England's leading wicket-taker in last year's competition with nine and their top run-scorer at the World Cup.

Found himself sharing the new ball with Matthew Hoggard in India and took four for 50 in the third Test at Bangalore, but looked more comfortable as first change after Andy Caddick joined the squad in New Zealand.

All at sea with the bat against the Indian spinners, Flintoff put that behind him by contributing a belligerent 137 to a stand of 281 with Graham Thorpe against New Zealand in Christchurch, and followed that by hammering 75 off 44 balls in the second Test at Wellington.

Persistent back problems now appear to be a thing of the past thanks to a new fitness regime and if Flintoff can maintain his improvement, he is likely to be a key figure for England for several years to come.

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