England can go for walk, says Botham

Ian Botham says Flintoff and co would be better off doing a charity walk instead of playing the ICC Champions Trophy in India later this year.

Former England captain Ian Botham says Andrew Flintoff and co would be better off doing a charity walk instead of playing the ICC Champions Trophy in India later this year.

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Botham says scheduling the Champions Trophy five days ahead of the Ashes tour and five months before the prestigious World Cup defied common sense.

"I don't know what the Champions Trophy is all about ... Slotting it in five months before the World Cup is beyond me," Botham was quoted as saying in BBC Sport.

"I think it's greed taking over from common sense. They are killing the goose that lays the golden egg and it wouldn't surprise me to see a lot of second teams playing in it."

England would be going into the Champion Trophy, to be played from October 7 to November 5, after hosting Sri Lanka and Pakistan in home series.

Botham said the senior players should be allowed to skip the event so as to be fresh for the Ashes defence Down Under.

"If I was Andrew Flintoff I would say I'm looking forward to the summer and Australia — in between I'm on holiday," the former all-rounder said.

Botham was speaking on the sidelines of his 11th charity walk to raise funds for Leukaemia Research and the Teenage Cancer Trust, which will take place in October.

"Freddie and the England boys will all be coming along," said Botham who will walk for nine days for the cause.