- Ankle surgery ruled Flintoff out of the 2006 home series against Pakistan but he regained the captaincy for England's defence of the Ashes. -File Photo

Andrew Flintoff's career highlights

* LIFE DETAILS AND EARLY CAREER

- Flintoff was born on December 6, 1977 in Preston, England. He made his first class English county cricket debut for Lancashire in 1995 aged 18.

- He represented England for the first time at test level against South Africa in Nottingham in July 1998.

* CAREER HIGHS

- Following an inconsistent start to his international career, he struck his highest career test score of 167 against West Indies at Edgbaston in July 2004 and recorded career best bowling figures of 5-58 in Antigua in the return tour.

- In 2005, he scored 402 runs and took 24 wickets as England won the Ashes for the first time in 18 years with a 2-1 series victory over Australia. Named man of the series, receiving the inaugural Compton-Miller Medal.

- He captained England for the first time in the 2006 tour of India in place of the injured Michael Vaughan, taking 11 wickets and scored five half-centuries in six innings, as England draw the series 1-1.

* INJURIES

- Ankle surgery ruled Flintoff out of the 2006 home series against Pakistan but he regained the captaincy for England's defence of the Ashes. Australia won all five tests to record the first Ashes whitewash in 86 years.

- A fourth operation on his ankle in late 2007 removed extra bone and bone fragments which ruled him out until test matches against South Africa in July 2008 when he became the 12th England player to take 200 test wickets.

* 2009

- Flintoff flew home from the Caribbean for treatment on a torn hip muscle and missed the fifth and final test against West Indies.

- On July 15 Flintoff announced he would retire from test cricket at the end of the 2009 Ashes series. He took five wickets and was man-of-the-match in the second test at Lord's.

- England completed a 2-1 series victory at the Oval with Flintoff turning the match when he ran out Australia captain Ricky Ponting with a direct hit.

* RETIREMENT

- He underwent knee surgery follwoing England's Ashes success and needed a second operation in January 2010.

- He hoped to make a return to county cricket in late July or August but missed the entire county season before calling time on his career.

* CAREER STATS

- Flintoff played 79 tests and 141 one-day internationals, scoring 3,845 test runs, including five centuries at an average of 31.77. He took 226 test wickets and scored 3,394 runs in ODIs, taking 169 wickets. - Reuters