Andrew Flintoff cannot wait to get back into action as he admits his rehabilitation from a knee injury is far more frustrating than painful.

The England star has been out of action and on crutches since he helped England memorably regain the Ashes this summer.

But now he is facing an even bigger battle than the one against the Aussies as he seeks to recover from microfracture surgery to his dodgy right knee.

But having earlier revealed it’s an injury that could clean bowl his hopes of playing for England again the awesome all-rounder remains confident of making a successful recovery.

“The frustrating thing is that I don’t even feel injured,” Flintoff said.

“I’m not in pain but the surgeon warned me it’s going to be a test of patience - and patience is not something I’ve got in abundance.

“The rehab is very slow. I’m on the crutches until November and once the knee is scanned, we’ll see if it’s beginning to work. “It helps that the surgeon says the chances of me coming back are high.”

Meanwhile, such are the stresses and strains Test players suffer that Andrew Flintoff isn’t the only all-rounder to call it quits in the long form of the game.

Injury-plagued New Zealander Jacob Oram yesterday announced he is retiring from Test cricket in a bid, like Flintoff, to prolong his career in the shorter forms of the game. “The last few years have shown that my body cannot handle the strains and stresses that come with being an all-rounder,”
31-year-old Oram said.

“Playing all three formats for up to ten months a year is tough,” he added.