The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that the Lancashire and England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is to undergo an intensive rehabilitation programme in order to speed his recovery from a groin injury.

Flintoff, 25, flew home from England's tour of Australia last Friday after failing to make a full recovery from a hernia operation carried out at the end of August.

The ECB's Chief Medical Officer, Peter Gregory, said: "Andrew has made an unexpectedly slow recovery, which is still incomplete despite undertaking programmes typically carried out by other sportsmen rehabilitating from this type of surgery. But he has done all that has been asked of him in terms of rehabilitation and we have found no specific reason for the slowness of recovery.

"Failure of repair, infection, muscle/tendon tears and joint problems have all been excluded as the cause of injury. At this stage, he remains weak in important muscles and is continuing to experience pain after short spells of fast bowling.

"He will require more intensive one-to-one rehabilitation and arrangements are being made for this to begin immediately under the day-to-day supervision of the Lancashire medical team.

"At this stage Andrew's rehabilitation is geared to his being able to prove himself properly match-fit by mid-January. His fitness will be tested as rigorously as possible, including simulation of ODI bowling demands in the nets in about a month if his rehabilitation progresses appropriately in the meantime, and if he is selected for the 15-man World Cup squad."