Freddie in squad for ODIs against Australia

They say the best always keep it for the last and England’s best known Test all-rounder in the last one decade—Andrew Flintoff will have to be on his toes in his last Test. The good news for English fans will be that he is being chosen by the selectors for the ODIs.

However, Flintoff, who is still struggling with a knee problem, has made it clear he wants to remain a force in one-day internationals (ODIs).And the  England selectors appear to have taken the 31-year-old at his word. He was included in the 15-man party from which England will pick their side for the seven home ODIs against Australia that follow hard on the heels of the Ashes finale before that squad heads to South Africa for the Champions Trophy where England will bid to win their first major one-day title.

Test captain Andrew Strauss will lead a squad featuring just one uncapped player in Kent batsman Joe Denly. But before that, and with star batsman Pietersen recovering from an Achilles injury, Flintoff will be a member of the 14-man squad that travels to Belfast for a match against Ireland that takes places just three days after the scheduled end of the decisive fifth Ashes Test.

As well as Flintoff, Denly, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, wicket-keeper Matt Prior, Owais Shah and Ashes discard Ravi Bopara are in all three squads.Jonathan Trott, Bopara’s replacement at the Oval, only makes it into the Twenty20 squad as a batting stand-in for the absent Strauss.

But Alastair Cook, keeper James Foster, Test fast bowler Stephen Harmison, Ian Bell, Rob Key and all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas have all failed to make the cut for the Champions Trophy squad after being included in the provisional 30 and do not feature in England’s other one-day parties either.

“We have kept faith with the bulk of the squad which was successful in the NatWest Series against West Indies earlier this summer and also included two players, Luke Wright and Adil Rashid, who were part of our squad for the ICC World T20,” said England national selector Geoff Miller.

“Joe Denly has impressed the selectors for a while with some excellent performances in one-day cricket – and with Kevin Pietersen unavailable through injury, this is an excellent opportunity for Joe to step up to the next level and show what he is capable of.”

“But the selectors felt it would be beneficial for him to have a short break from international cricket following the conclusion of the Ashes Test series, and Paul Collingwood will lead the side in Ireland and in the Twenty20s,” Miller said.Squads

For the ODIS against Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa:

Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

England squad for ODI against Ireland in Belfast on August 27:

Collingwood (capt), Anderson, Bopara, Bresnan, Broad, Denly, Flintoff, Morgan, Prior (wkt), Rashid, Shah, Swann, Sidebottom, Wright.

England squad for the T20 internationals against Australia at Old Trafford on August 30 and September 1:

Collingwood (capt), Anderson, Bopara, Bresnan, Broad, Denly, Flintoff, Morgan, Prior (wkt), Rashid, Shah, Sidebottom, Swann, Ian Trott, Wright.