Former England captain retires

Former England captain Andrew Flintoff retired from all forms of cricket with immediate effect today, admitting defeat after a long battle against a serious knee injury.



The 32-year-old Lancashire allrounder, who won 79 test caps and became a national icon by playing a leading role in England winning back the Ashes in 2005, made his decision after speaking to a surgeon in Glasgow yesterday.



Flintoff says having been told that his body would no longer stand up to the rigors of cricket he had no alternative but to retire.



His last match was a test against Australia at The Oval in August 2009, when England won to regain the Ashes. In an 11-year test career, he had 226 wickets at 32.78 and hit 3,845 runs with an average of 31.77.



Flintoff underwent micro-fracture surgery on his right knee after last year's Ashes series and was hoping to return for the start of this season. However, he had a second operation after suffering a setback in his recovery earlier this year.



Flintoff notched five test centuries his highest being 167 versus West Indies at Edgbaston in 2004. He took three five-wicket hauls, two of them coming against Australia.



In 141 one-day internationals, he scored 3,394 runs, three centuries, and took 169 wickets.