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Flintoff set to bowl for England Windies duo punish England attack
(1 day later)
Captain Andrew Flintoff could bowl for England for the first time since June in their final Champions Trophy game against West Indies on Saturday. Andrew Flintoff's bowling return failed to inspire England as West Indies enjoyed a run-fest with Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo both recording centuries.
The Lancashire all-rounder has been playing as a batsman as he builds up match fitness after ankle surgery. Flintoff was bowling for the first time since ankle surgery but failed to take any wickets as West Indies made 272-4.
But he feels ready to bowl as well and told BBC Sport: "There's a possibility. I'll bowl in the nets and see how I go. The Champions Trophy game in Ahmedabad saw Gayle (101) put on 174 for the second wicket with Bravo, whose 112 not out was his maiden one-day hundred.
"I won't be bowling all 10 overs but somewhere in between. I feel good, the ankle's fine, and I'm confident in it." Sajid Mahmood took two wickets but was expensive, conceding 44 in seven overs.
onClick="javascript:launchAVConsoleStory('6090430'); return false;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/video_and_audio/help_guide/4304501.stm">Interview: England captain Andrew Flintoff England went into the match with a team showing one change as Jon lewis took over from Steve Harmison, who was officially "rested" after being out of sorts with the ball during the tournament so far.
The Windes' victory over India on Thursday ended England's slim chances of reaching the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Lewis made the breakthrough dismissing opener Shiv Chanderpaul for 13 and bowled 10 tidy overs for figures of 1-35 in a match which England were playing only for pride, having already being knocked out of the tournament.
They lost their opening two games, against India and Australia, to continue a poor run in limited-overs games which has seen nine defeats in 12 matches. West Indies on the other hand went into the game with a semi-final place secure and their confidence was in evidence as Gayle and Bravo put the setback behind them.
We're a talented group of players - it's just producing the goods on the day Andrew Flintoff Gayle (right) is congratulated by Bravo after reaching his century
Flintoff insists they have what it takes to compete against the best, however, and says they are determined to finish the tournament with a flourish in Ahmedabad. Unusually, Bravo was the more aggressive of the pair with Gayle happy to play a more subdued role but it was still effective as he reached a century in 127 balls seemingly without having to break into a sweat.
"It's the last game, we can't progress in the tournament, but we've still got a lot to play for," the 28-year-old added. He was run out by Flintoff without having a chance to really let rip but Bravo followed him to three figures soon after, reaching his hundred off 117 balls with 12 fours and a six.
"We're playing for pride - and pride's a strong thing - so we'll go in there trying to beat the West Indies and go home on a high. England looked as though they were counting down the hours before their plane left India and were below par in the field too.
"We're a talented group of players and can play, it's just producing the goods on the day. Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell missed chances to catch Gayle and late on Michael Yardy failed to hang on to an easy chance to dismiss Ramnaresh Sarwan. There was also an uncharacteristic missed stumping by keeper Chris Read.
"The one thing we need to get is consistency and that comes from winning matches. You spend time in the nets but you have to go out in the middle and play properly." England captain Flintoff brought himself on to bowl in the 11th over and his first three-over spell was encouraging, reaching speeds of up to 87mph, as he conceded 16 runs.
It's important that we get the best team out there - we don't want a hiccup Brian Lara He returned later for two more overs and although he stemmed the run-rate, he could not get a wicket, despite being offered a stinging return catch by Bravo.
Holders West Indies are through to the last four after stunning world champions Australia and the hosts in their first two matches. Following Gayle's departure, Bravo and Sarwan added 50 to the toal before Sarwan was caught at long-on off Mahmood, who also claimed the notable scalp of Brian Lara for three.
Captain Brian Lara has dismissed suggestions that they might rest key players, including himself, for the England game.
The left-hander passed a late fitness test before the India game after suffering from back spasms against the Aussies.
"It's important that we get the best team out there. We don't want to have a hiccup at this time," he explained.
"We did that in the tri-series in Malaysia, where we experimented in the game before the final, and lost momentum.
"We've got the batting line-up that we want and, if I'm fitter than I was against India, I'll definitely play."