Lancashire boss Mike Watkinson says Flintoff needs to earn his stint at county club

English county cricket club Lancashire manager Mike Watkinson has said that the former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is not guaranteed a place to be in the club's Twenty20 team as he needs to get his name on the sheet first.

Watkinson said that Flintoff, who has come out of retirement since he gave up the international career in 2009, would probably not be the same, but he is still going to be a decent competitor and a good influence.

According to the BBC, Watkinson added that they were on a pre-season tour in Dubai and they got a message back that Flintoff had been involved with some of the academy sessions.

The former English cricketer said they heard that Flintoff had turned his arm over and got bitten by the cricket bug again, adding that he saw him hit some balls in Lancashire's indoor centre against the bowling machine.

Watkinson said that the machine had been at a good speed and Flintoff had really been coping with it and crunching the ball through, adding that the former England skipper has such a good physique and the class with bat and ball shone through.

Flintoff, who retired in 2009 to end a career plagued by injuries, is set to play for former club St. Annes against Penrith in the Northern League on Saturday, the report added.