Was it the right tactic for the team?

Flintoff lost his battle with fitness and was sent home by England.

The Lancashire player participated in all three of England's warm-up games ahead of the VB Series, but took two wickets at a cost of 120 runs and only managed scores of seven, 14 and 13 with the bat.

Captain Nasser Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher decided it was best to give Flintoff time to recover for the World Cup.

Should Flintoff have stayed and fought the battle in Australia?

This debate is now closed. A selection of your e-mails appears below.

They should have stuffed him and presented him to the Aussies with a plaque: "In memory of English cricket, which has spun in its grave".
Ben Thomas, New Zealand

To talk of 'sending him home' as if he is in disgrace is very unfair. Flintoff was asked to keep on playing when he should have been allowed to go for his operation, and then asked to restart playing too soon.

The one day series is nowhere near as important as the World Cup Sanj, UK

This incident, and the whole disastrous tour, raise serious questions over the efficiency (and just plain common sense!) of the ECB's medical team.
Linda, England

Flintoff is probably the most over-rated cricketer in the world! He hasn't proven himself consistently and all this talk of him being a match-winner is a load of rubbish. Let him get physically fit first and then he can try and show his "class".
Ramesh, UK

Not only was it right to send him home but he (and Gough) should never have gone in the first place!
Colin Mercer, England

As a Lancashire fan I am disgusted by the management not believing he was not fit. I would like to know how they are demoralising the team further by insisting they play not fit, eg Gough.
Dorothy Crew, England

I feel that at this stage of the tour, if there is even the slightest doubt about Flintoff's fitness he should come home. The Ashes are lost and the one day series is nowhere near as important as the World Cup.

If England feel he is a vital part of their World Cup plans they need to get him fit for that. Whether a player with his record should be vital to any international team is another question altogether.
Sanj, UK

Let's not waste time carrying a non-fully fit player. Bring in Hollioake, who should have been there from the start. Look at their 2002 performance in England. Hollioake was near the top of the batting. What has Flintoff done? A few one-off performances. He is over-rated.
Allan, USA

Go home. Give someone a chance who wants to play and get him to earn his recall. The Aussies have one of the oldest Test and OD squad average ages, and they're all fit - look at us, it's a joke!!
James, UK

Sending him home will achieve nothing, apart from destroy his confidence Michael George, Switzerland

Yes, I think Andrew Flintoff should be sent home as he is probably missing his mummy and teddy bears, and it sure looks like he left his blankie at home in Lancashire.... Grow up England.
Alice Saies, Australia

They should send Flintoff home. No benefit having him there in a losing side and risking injury for next season and World Cup. He should be given the chance to rest and get properly fit. With or without him we are not going to beat an Australian side Down Under this winter.
Brian Young, Madrid

He was not fully fit for the Australian tour and should not have been sent to Australia in the first place. He should be sent back home to recover for the World Cup.
Dushy, Canada

The England management team have already let Flintoff down with the way they delayed his operation and then messed about with his recovery plan. He has real potential to be a long-term all-rounder for the side, as he proved in India with the ball and New Zealand with the bat.

Sending him home will achieve nothing, apart from destroy his confidence and trust in the England set-up. Even if he doesn't play for a while, he should stay in Australia recover and train - even if some of his time is spent with the Academy.

We need to build our immediate future round a group of young players and stick with them, as the Aussies do. Flintoff is certainly one of those players.
Michael George, Switzerland

I can't see why Hollioake wasn't in the squad in the first place. The sheer dynamism and exuberance that he can bring to a time is probably on a par with Jonty Rhodes. Also he can be relied on to take wickets, be economical with the ball and score runs - something that injury is probably preventing Flintoff from doing.

Why doesn't the whole England team come home!? Nicholas Black, UK

At a time like this, with the World Cup looming, it is silly to be chucking in more youngsters.
Al Willmott, UK

They are saying he cannot bowl four or five overs consistently; I have never seen him bowl one over consistently.
David Upshall, Australia

Look at the statistics - they tell a story of their own. Flintoff doesn't take enough wickets or score enough runs against the best. Get him ready for the tests and send him home so he can be ready for the World Cup if necessary.
Tom, England

All the players who are not 100% fit should be sent home and replaced with young hopefuls. Having lost the Ashes anyway, a few experiments will not do much harm.
Chandran Sukumaran, Malaysia

Flintoff should be sent home sadly. He's a great player, but if he cannot bowl there is not much point playing him. Why doesn't the whole England team come home!?
Nicholas Black, UK

I find it hard to understand why England have waited so long for him to be fit. His record suggests that to call him an average international player is a compliment!

It's not like they are waiting for Ian Botham to get fit. Come on England, send him home and bring over someone who isn't looking for an all-expenses paid holiday - Flintoff is soft!
Luke, UK (Australian)

The damage was done playing that extra Test. Sorry Freddie but you should come home and get fully fit for the World Cup - battling on will only put you in a similar position to Darren Gough.
Steve Moore, UK

Players should be fit and raring to go before any tour starts Adrian, Netherlands

The main point here is how the England selectors picked a player for the Ashes series with him being totally un-prepared and unfit for such an occasion. In truth Flintoff has now enjoyed a two month holiday at the expense of the English people. It's a disgrace.
Tim Hughess, England

He should be sent home to rest and recuperate as he isn't fully fit. He is unable to give 100% for the team. Adam Hollioake should replace him as he can play better and he isn't unfit.
Aaron Carter, England

Flintoff has been pony in the warm up games and is clearly not fit. When fit he gives us an extra dimension. The tour has been a disaster anyway, so send him home and get him fit for the World Cup so we can finally stuff those arrogant Aussies!
Brad, London

He should stay. He can't do any worse than the rest of the England players, can he?
Jamie, Preston, England

The situation regarding Flintoff sums it all up really. Players should be fit and raring to go before any tour starts and otherwise should not be selected.
Adrian, Netherlands

England cannot afford to go into in one-day series without Flintoff Shaun, Bury, UK

This tour is like a bad Vietnam movie, when the soldiers start to shoot themselves so that they can get out of the hell hole and back home. Flintoff's case is just another addendum to the mother of all farces, all we need is a half hour Halle Berry speech and the joke is complete!
Monty, Ireland

Flintoff should stay. He is a threat and although only 90% fit, as long as he doesn't further injure himself, he must be preferable to anyone else.

The real issue here is the obvious lack of fitness levels the team had in the first place. There are too many injuries to make me believe that England are just unlucky. Tweaking knees, shin splints, pulled this, strained that....genuinely fit players are what are needed.
Piers, Scotland

England cannot afford to go into in one-day series without Flintoff. He is a match winner and England seem short of those at the moment. However they must be careful with how and when he is deployed.

England will have an even greater need for him at the World Cup and the selectors and in particular Nasser Hussain should be sensible for a change and not rush him back like they have consistently done to a number of players in the past, Flintoff included.
Shaun, Bury, UK

Flintoff surely cannot be held in such high regard by the England management as he once was after his bad performances on tour so far. If he is I think there are serious problems and the management hasn't got its priorities right.

He should be sent home and a suitable replacement should be called in, also if Hollioake is the next best player, surely there are problems in the depth of quality in English cricket!
Aadhar Sharma, UK

Let's stop risking the fitness of an integral part of our World Cup squad. After all, the upcoming tournament means nothing in the broader picture. It's time he was sent home and put on a rigorous fitness regime (and to work on his appalling batting!) until he's in top physical shape. We won't have a chance in the World Cup unless all of our best players are fit.
Eddie Baker, Notts, England

He should come home along with the rest of the no hopers! Graham Evans, England

Send Flintoff home and book extra tickets for White, Caddick, Stewart, Fletcher and the English selectors. The time for new blood is now.
Steve James, Australia

The ECB should be ashamed of what they have put Andrew Flintoff through. They made him play when he wasn't fit and should have had the operation and now they are trying to force him back into the international arena when he clearly has some recuperation problems.

He should be sent home to regain his fitness properly so he can take part in the World Cup otherwise he may not bit in time for that. They are treating him like a piece of meat and it's disgraceful.
Pat Lovell, UK

He should come home along with the rest of the no hopers! Where's the pride?
Graham Evans, England

The selectors have nobody to blame but themselves for Andy Flintoff's injuries and form. Central contracts were introduced to avoid the mismanagement of players but this hasn't worked with Flintoff.

He was selected when unfit in the summer and this is why there are now problems on this tour. He should be sent home to work on his fitness so that he is 100% fit and fully rested for next years World Cup. His form in the tournament will be pivotal and if he plays well we have a good chance of winning the trophy.
Robert Ferguson, England

Fred is a key player and his own enthusiasm for the game and his country are beyond question. However, even he must concede that he will play no further part in this tour and he must be allowed to go home and allow the lads to concentrate on turning things around.

His recovery and his mental state will only be hampered by his staying with the tour party not to mention Lord Maclaurin having a pop at him. If he is allowed to return and concentrate on his own fitness, perhaps he will be back for the World Cup.
Rajiv Vyas, UK

Send the academy players at least they will get some good exposure Samuel Rajendran, USA

He should stay and bat higher up the order to take advantage of the fielding restrictions. He might not be scoring runs at the moment but he can be a match winner; unlike the England cricket team at the moment!
Chris, UK

Flintoff is typical of the problems that face English cricket. He has the potential to be a key figure in the England side, but he rarely seems to fulfil his promise. On the back of very few decent performances, he is able to command a large salary from his county and country. This makes him believe that he is worth more than his performances actually justify.

He's not fit so send him home now and don't waste more time on trying to get a half fit marginal player to the World Cup.

Contrast all the problems in the England camp with Steve Waugh's response to injury on the 2001 Ashes tour to England. He drove himself for 10 days to be fit in time for the Oval test, because the pride that he felt playing for his country inspired him to get fit. He scored 150 batting on one leg. He sums up everything that is great about Australian cricket and is lacking in our game and players like Andrew Flintoff.
Iain, England

Will everyone please remember that this Australian team is one of the best of all time? There are very few players in world cricket that could get into their side. Michael Slater averages 43 in Tests and he can't get in! Gilchrist averages 60 and he bats at number seven, they have the best leg spinner of all time and two of the best quicks ever! It's not surprising England's 'b' team are getting thrashed is it!!!!!!
Nick Laugharne, England

I feel the whole squad should return back. Send the academy players at least they will get some good exposure.
Samuel Rajendran, USA

You guys would be better of trying to recruit Steve Waugh in your one-day side, he is available and won't fold at the first opportunity.
Stephen Ernst, Australia