CHAIRMAN of selectors Geoff Miller has defended the decision to omit Andrew Flintoff from the England side for the fourth Ashes Test, insisting it was right to put the advice of the medical team over the all-rounder’s wishes.

Flintoff’s agent claims the 31-year-old informed England’s selectors he was prepared to play through the pain barrier at Headingley but the offer was turned down.

“We had to guarantee that Fred could do the job required to bowl the overs,” Miller said.

“We’d been monitoring his injury day by day and the selectors felt that it was better that he didn’t play in that game.

“Yes, he might have thought he was fit to do a certain job but we had to work out whether he’d be fit to do a constant job, meaning bowl the amount of overs required to get the 20 wickets.

“We have to go on the medical advice. We know that Freddie’s passionate to play for England, I accept that, but there are a lot of other ideals we have to work to, such as taking medical advice.

“If the medics say there’s still a problem there, then we have to accept what their viewpoint is.”

Andrew Chandler, Flintoff’s agent, claimed he had “never seen anybody as low” as the all-rounder was after being told he would not be selected.

He said: “He told them that he was fit enough to get through, that he felt no different to how he felt at Edgbaston and that he could get through and do his bit. They didn’t want him.

“He was prepared to do whatever it takes, was prepared to put whatever needed to be put into his knee.

“The whole point of announcing his retirement when he did was to clear his head and prepare to do whatever needed to be done to play the final Test matches of his career. He just didn’t see it coming.”