Cricket News: England will officially approach Cricket Australia for guarantees that Andrew Flintoff can play club cricket in Australia to assist his return to fitness in time for this winter's Ashes series

The request will spark a heated debate in Australia between those who believe there is a moral obligation to show hospitality to Flintoff and those who will argue that the Poms should not be given an inch. Expect John Howard, the Australian prime minister, to voice an opinion within days.

Flintoff faces a second ankle operation and will not be fit to return to competitive action until late October, compounding England's problems before their defence of the Ashes has begun. Captain Michael Vaughan has already been ruled out and Ashley Giles and Simon Jones will also join Flintoff in seeking club cricket in Australia.

David Graveney, England's chairman of selectors, said: "We're investigating areas in which our injured players, including Freddie, can play cricket. South Africa is one, Australia is another."

There is a principle at stake here. That English cricket would accommodate any Australian returning to fitness is inevitable. Cricket Australia can uphold decent cricket principles as well as recognising that the Ashes will benefit from its box-office players. They should agree to any request unequivocally.

England's injury record has been so calamitous it is tempting again to question the efficiency of their medical team. But the policy on Flintoff has been swift. When he first felt discomfort in the Test defeat against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge a logical response was to try to cure the problem by rest, ankle strengthening and the shedding of a stone. Surgeons will operate next week in the hope they find nothing more serious than fragments of floating bone left over from a previous bone-spur operation 18 months ago.

"He (Flintoff) was seen by two consultants and they initially went down the route of deciding against an operation," Graveney said. "Virtually every hurdle had been crossed and it was only when he played at Kent last week that he began to feel the symptoms. We still believe Freddie will be on the plane to Australia. Once he has the operation we can make our plan from there. If the symptoms they think are causing the problem are correct a 12-week span is probably accurate."

Andrew Strauss will captain England for the remaining Tests against Pakistan, whose coach Bob Woolmer also has some thinking to do. "Mentally players may relax as they know a key England player is absent," he said.

There could be a Test debut for the Middlesex batsman and off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple. With Liam Plunkett also doubtful with a side strain suffered while bowling for Durham against West Indies A, England could include Dalrymple in preference to Monty Panesar to bolster an increasingly long tail.