Andrew Flintoff has been forced to delay his latest comeback from injury after the Lancashire medical staff admitted that he was not ready to play one-day cricket (Lancashire 20/1 to win Clydesdale Bank 40).

The 32-year-old has been out of action since undergoing knee surgery last August but had hoped to play some part for Lancashire towards the end of this season.

The double Ashes-winner has been working hard on his fitness over the past few months as he attempts yet another comeback following five years of injuries that forced him to call time on his Test career after the Ashes last summer.

Flintoff has made it clear that he is available for both one-day and Twenty20 cricket for England and will look to play the shortest version of the game domestically around the world, with the lucrative IPL high on his list of priorities over the coming years.

He may well play some four-day cricket for his county in order to build up his fitness but has been pulled out of a scheduled return to action in a second XI one-day match against Yorkshire on Monday.

Lancashire coach Peter Moores explained the situation surrounding Flintoff’s knee and revealed the latest delay is no cause for concern.

“Nothing’s happened it’s just a case of them being happy with the level of conditioning around the knee and his general body so that when he does play he’s at minimum risk of getting injured again,” he told The Guardian.

“It’s been a long rehab so far, and what they’re making sure is that it’s not rushed. It’s got to be right. They think, at the moment, that he’s not quite ready and ruled him out of the one-dayer, (because there is) slightly more violent running round in a one-dayer.”