Ponting thinks England distracted by Flintoff’s retirement

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes England could be distracted by Andrew Flintoff’s impending retirement in the deciding Ashes Test, which bowls off tomorrow at The Oval.



Flintoff, a star of the 2005 series, will quit Tests after the fifth and final match.



Ponting said there will be some distractions as the papers in England are focusing about Flintoff going into retirement.



He said England would have those issue to deal with on the field.



With the series poised at 1-0 going into the winner-takes-all contest, England only need a draw to retain the Ashes.



Ponting believes the inclusion of uncapped batsman Jonathan Trott in England’s line-up is a big risk with the Ashes on the line.



Australia squared the series with a comprehensive victory by an innings and 80 runs in the fourth Tests in Leeds earlier this month.