March 23, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

LONDON, March 22: England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff said he hopes to return for England’s home Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on May 23.

The 30-year-old has not played a Test for England since last January in Australia because of continuing problems with his left ankle which was operated on for a fourth time in October.

However, he came though Lancashire’s pre-season match against Yorkshire in Abu Dhabi, scoring 51 and bowling four overs.

“I would love to play a test match at Lord’s, but the one thing that I am not going to do is get carried away,” Flintoff was quoted as saying on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) website on Saturday.

“I know that if I want to play for England, then I have got to be fit. I won’t be able to just walk back into that side.

“I have got to focus all my energies on playing for Lancashire. If I can stay fit and perform, then I would hopefully be in the shake up.”

Flintoff added that he still had some way to go to reach full fitness.

“Everybody tells me I am at 70 per cent, but I don’t know – I might be at 72,” he said. “I am certainly not hitting the crease as hard as I would like, but it feels good and easy.”—Reuters