March 8, 2006	Wednesday	Safar 7, 1427

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MOHALI, March 7: England coach Duncan Fletcher said on Tuesday he hoped Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff would do well in the dual role of captain and all-rounder for the rest of the India tour.

Flintoff, who led his depleted side to a creditable draw in the opening Test at Nagpur, will stay as captain for the remaining two Tests and seven One-day Internationals after Michael Vaughan had been ruled out due to a knee injury.

Vice-captain Marcus Trescothick, who flew home for personal reasons, is unlikely to return in time for the remaining Tests or one-dayers, Fletcher said.

“Freddie (Flintoff’s nickname), at this stage, will captain for the rest of the tour,” said Fletcher ahead of the second Test starting here on Thursday.

“Just as an all-rounder he has a lot to do. Adding the captaincy could be — you never know with the individual — what he needs to step his game up to another level. We will only find that later on.”

Fletcher said Flintoff had done an admirable job in his first Test as captain at Nagpur, where England looked the better side for much of the drawn game.

“There is a chance we might be asking a lot of him,” said the England coach.

“Considering the circumstances it was not an easy game. Being thrown in he had to grab hold of the reins straightaway, which he did. You can see immediately he is the guy who wants to lead from the front.”

Flintoff said he did not believe the captaincy would affect his game.

“I have been given the job for a few weeks and will continue to perform as I do and do things that I do. I am just keeping Vaughan’s job warm and the quicker he gets into the team, the better,” he said.

The ace all-rounder said England were capable of gaining the lead if the pitch favoured his fast bowlers.

“If it offers bounce and pace, then we have a decent chance of taking the lead,” said Flintoff.

“As long as we do the things we did last week, we should be OK. We can’t be complacent at this stage of the series. It is a young side and the lads have been doing great.”

England lost three key players in the run-up to Nagpur — Vaughan, Trescothick and fast bowler Simon Jones. And premier spin bowler Ashley Giles had failed to make the tour due to injury.

“There is a very good chance he (Trescothick) will not play in this Test series and probably a good chance he will not play in the one-dayers,” Fletcher said.

Jones, who had twisted his left knee before the Nagpur Test, was also unlikely to return.

“He will begin his rehabilitation programme this week. At this stage, it is unlikely he will be available for the one-day series,” said Fletcher.

Flintoff, who led England in a practice game in Sri Lanka a few years ago, has scored 2,859 runs and taken 166 wickets in 57 Tests. In 98 one-dayers, he has 2,601 runs and 104 scalps.—AFP