Flintoff eyes trophies after new Lancashire deal

Andrew Flintofff wants to win more silverware with Lancashire after agreeing a new three-year contract with his native county.

England all-rounder Flintoff, who is recovering from knee surgery, retired from Test cricket after helping his country regain the Ashes from Australia in August, saying his body could no longer stand the strain.

But the 31-year-old is continuing as a limited overs cricketer and wants to represent England at the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Flintoff, who made his Lancashire debut in 1995, is equally keen to add to the two trophies he has already won with the Old Trafford-based county.

"To sign a new deal is what I wanted to do," he said Friday. "I've played for the club since I was nine and I don't want to play anywhere else in county cricket.

"I've got personal ambitions but I've got team ambitions as well. I've won two trophies at Lancashire. I've been at this club a long time and I want to add to that.

"Personally, yes I do want to be the best one-day player in the world, it's something which I feel I can do. Just playing the two forms of the game I can focus all my attentions on trying to be that player."

The pace bowler and hard-hitting batsman hopes to be back in action early next year after undergoing surgery following the Ashes.

"First and foremost I need to get back on the cricket field, hopefully that will be sooner rather than later," he said.

"I'm just under 12 weeks since the op. I'll probably know more at the 12-week stage, I'll see the surgeon, he'll re-scan me and he will have a better idea of how the operation has gone and where I'm at with it.

"He is pretty confident, as am I. So far it's just been doing a lot of the boring stuff. After I've had the scan I can build back up to running and hopefully get in the nets and start practising some time after Christmas."

Flintoff no longer has any form of England contract, after rejecting the offer of an incremental deal, and Lancashire coach Peter Moores was confident the Red Rose side might see more of him than in recent seasons even though he is no longer available for four-day County Championship matches.

"He's now not centrally-contracted so there is more chance we will actually see more of him on the field," said former England coach Moores.

"We are looking forward to him playing plenty of one-day cricket next year and making us very effective as a side."

And Moores insisted Lancashire had not taken a gamble by agreeing a three-year contract with a player in Flintoff whose career has frequently been blighted by injuries.

"I don't think so. He is still in rehab and is to get fit but it's all going to schedule at the moment.

"Fred (Flintoff) said to start with his target was (England's tour of) Bangladesh just after Christmas but that might be a little bit early, and internationally then there is the Twenty20 World Cup (in the Caribbean)."