Ankle op a success for happy Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff believes he will be back next summer, fully fit and ready to reclaim his crown as England's No1 Test all-rounder.

Flintoff, recently returned from Holland following a fourth operation on his left ankle, said: "I am very positive about things. The surgeon has removed some bone fragments and is happy he has got to the bottom of the problem."

Though he will certainly miss this winter's tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand, he added: "I'm confident I can come back. It will be hard work again but I have been through this before so I know what is involved."

"Some people have been saying I'm finished but I'm not bothered. My motivation is not to prove anybody wrong, it is to play cricket."

England, meanwhile, are searching for a specialist fielding coach. Peter Moores quickly recruited former Zimbabwe international Andy Flower to help him on the batting front after succeeding Duncan Fletcher as head coach in May and former Durham and West Indies paceman Ottis Gibson has been signed up to work full time with the bowlers.

But Moores has also identified the need to find a specialist to help England become world beaters in the field.

Fletcher employed Warwickshire batsman Trevor Penney on a part-time basis during the Ashes-winning summer of 2005, but Penney is now with Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the ECB will this week appoint 54-year-old Australian Ric Charlsworth, ex-chief of the New Zealand centre of excellence, to head the National Academy at Loughborough.