NEVER mind where Andrew Flintoff's latest injury happened, all I know is that the big lad being out again is bloody bad news, for him and for England.

A lot will be made of the fact he decided to go for the big bucks and play in the Indian Premier League rather than rest up back at home ahead of what is a massive summer for England.

But all that is a load of rubbish. You can't wrap these lads up in cotton wool, and if he hadn't done it playing in the IPL he would have done it bowling in the nets or playing for Lancashire.

Dave Roberts, Freddie's trusted physio, will once again have to work his magic to get Freddie fit.

The fact the injury is to his right knee is better because that is his jump off leg when he bowls. It would have been worse if it had been his landing leg. But I would urge the ECB now to get the lad right for the Ashes, that's what matters.

The good news for England is that Jimmy Anderson is starting to reap the rewards of all his hard work.

There are not many in world cricket who can swing the ball both ways at 87mph.

Three or four years ago England saw him as the real deal and he just needed a bit more authority and consistency, and has got that now.

Initiative

And what I liked is this week he asked if he could play an extra match for Lancashire against Glamorgan. I like to see a player taking the initiative and wanting to play rather than waiting to be told what to do.

And it is also good to see him, and the likes of Stuart Broad, playing county cricket before the start of a Test series. Anderson will now go into the Lord's clash with the West Indies on a high having taken a bag-full of wickets against Sussex.

Get the centrally contracted lads playing county cricket - that's what I say. Lancashire could well be short on the bowling front this summer because I fully expect Sajid Mahmood to be playing Test cricket this year.

It may not be against the West Indies at the start of the summer, but England are in need of a real quickie and Mahmood is high in their thoughts.

The difference between batting in county cricket and at international level is pace.

I watched Essex v Northants on Sunday and there wasn't one bowler that touched 80mph.

Every batsman was playing off the front foot because there was no-one steaming in threatening to knock their block off.

RAVI Bopara and Owais Shah have really shot themselves in the foot by playing in the IPL.

For me, they were right up there battling with Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell for the England No3 slot.

But how can the selectors pick either of them for the first Test considering they will have spent the last few weeks just playing Twenty20 cricket?

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