Flintoff looked hostile on his return in Twenty20 at Old Trafford

Flintoff played his second Twenty20 match against Gillespie's Yorkshire on Tuesday as he recovers from injury.

"He looked fit. I was surprised he was playing Twenty20. In my view, he should have been preparing for a Test match.

"He's played a lot of cricket. I'm sure they're being over-cautious with him," Gillespie said.

Flintoff took over the England captaincy in India and led the side in all three home Tests against Sri Lanka earlier this summer.

TMS VIEW Its a wise decision. The danger is that if Flintoff tries to play too soon in a Test - which is more demanding than a Twenty20 - he may aggravate his ankle injury OL TMS: Have your say

With concerns mounting about his increasing workload, he duly suffered ankle problems in the final Test against the Sri Lankans and it was decided he would miss the one-day series to recuperate.

The 28-year-old talisman has been working with fitness guru Dave Roberts in a punishing regime in Dartmoor, and returned to county cricket in style with three wickets in three overs for Lancashire in the Twenty20 against Notts on Sunday.