ANDY Flintoff has been told that he may need a major back operation if he is to be a long-term all-rounder for Lancashire and England.

Flintoff had yet another cortisone injection late last week before finding himself at the centre of more controversy over his lifestyle by drinking in the Manchester Press Club in the early hours of Friday morning.

Lancashire have no worries over his night out, pointing out that he was never going to play in Friday's National League game against Gloucestershire while Flintoff made it clear that he had not been drunk.

But his ongoing back problems are causing increasing concern.

Thursday's injection was the 22-year-old's 10th in the last 18 months and Freddie said: "The specialist said if it works then he will know exactly how to treat the condition, but if it doesn't I basically have two choices -- don't bowl or have pins put in my back." Flintoff's agent Andrew Chandler has criticised the England management both for going public on Freddie's weight problems and also for the way they handled his back injury.

"I didn't really want this injection," Freddie said. "All they do is take the pain away for a month or two and then it flares up and is even worse. What I need is to have the problem solved, not masked, but the specialist explained that this injection should tell us exactly what chance I have of bowling properly again.

"The problem is if I have an other injection and get picked for the tour to Pakistan I will probably have to come home halfway through because of my back and then I'll get slagged off by everyone again. But I'm still desperate to play."

Lancashire were desperate to play at Bristol today to avoid the lottery of a bowl-out to decide their NatWest Trophy semi-final against Gloucestershire.

Yesterday was a complete washout leaving today as the only reserve day.

And if a result is not possible, the teams would each select five players to bowl at a set of stumps, either on the Bristol square or at a nearby indoor cricket centre.

It would be Lancashire's first involvement in such a bowl-out, but captain John Crawley said: "We just hope it doesn't come to that. We haven't even thought about which bowlers we would use."

Lancs won the toss and put Gloucestershire into bat when play got underway today. They were 36 without loss after nine overs.