“We can cope without Flintoff”

Lancashire paceman James Anderson said: "Fred bowled a great spell at Lord’s but it was a great team effort to win that game. People gave him the plaudits at the end but there were 11 players putting in good performances there.

"He is a key player, and we need him, and we want him to stay fit – but in the last 12-18 months he has not been around and we have won Test series without him.

"He is a vital part of our team but, if he wasn’t able to get through because of injury, we’d have enough cover to get through."

Anderson added: "In a way, we have been preparing for the last 18 months without Fred. The guys who have come in when he hasn’t been playing have done a fantastic job.

"Tim Bresnan has done a good job in his first two Tests. We have got cover for when Fred does retire.

"Fred, and Steve Harmison, have not been around much the last 18 months so I am sure we are prepared for when they do leave."

He said: "In one way, I guess it does make it easier. When I got my wickets, a lot of it was down to the way Fred was bowling at the other end.

"But it works both ways. It can make it a bit harder because the batsmen might look to get after me and the other guys rather than Fred which is harder to do."