CRICKET ace Andy Flintoff faces a race against the clock to be fit for Lancashire's pre-season tour of South Africa.

All-rounder Flintoff, whose winter tour with England was wrecked when he broke his foot during the fourth test against South Africa, is now training again.

However, with just 17 days until Lancashire go out, his coach, Steve Hampson, says Flintoff has a battle on his hands.

Hampson, who also coaches rugby club Lancashire Lynx, added: "He is making good progress and should be okay.

"He is working out at a special swimming pool and doing weights to boot.

"In this swimming pool, Andy gets to swim against a strong current, which is very good for building up strength after a fracture."

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