England are waiting anxiously to discover whether Andrew Flintoff's bid to re-establish himself as a world-class all-rounder has been undermined by a recurrence of his ankle problems.

The 29-year-old Lancashire star has used the time since the World Cup to reflect on a winter where he attracted the wrong kind of headlines on and off the pitch as he struggled through the Ashes and the World Cup.

But after working hard at Lancashire to rediscover confidence in his batting technique, a long-standing ankle problem now threatens his chance to stamp his mark on the opening npower Test against West Indies at Lord's on Thursday.

Flintoff felt discomfort in his left ankle, which has been operated on twice in the last three years, while bowling nine overs for Lancashire against Hampshire over the weekend and is now awaiting the results of a scan.

''We'll probably know more after I've run around and done what I need to do at practice, but I'm hopeful,'' he said. ''Sometimes when it's the ankle the alarm bells start ringing a little bit.

''The operation was on the back and on the inside and this is more on the outside. I had a bit of discomfort in the same sort of area in the winter so it's not something completely new.

''I had a couple of twinges in Australia. It's something we have been aware of and something that has niggled away but it did get a bit worse last Friday. I struggled to play through it on Friday and we'll have to wait and see how it settles down.''

It would be a huge frustration for Flintoff if he were unable to take his place in England's line-up for the first match of the new regime under coach Peter Moores.

He has worked hard at Old Trafford with Lancashire coach Mike Watkinson and former team-mate and agent Neil Fairbrother to restore his confidence in a technique which had deserted him by the end of England's dismal World Cup campaign.

Flintoff's status as one of the world's best all-rounders came under scrutiny during the winter after scoring only two half-centuries during the Ashes, while he has passed 50 only once in his last 28 one-day international innings.

It is one of the reasons why the selectors chose Andrew Strauss to lead the side this week in the absence of injured captain Michael Vaughan, although Flintoff stressed: ''The captaincy wasn't something I was really thinking about.

''Since I've got back from the West Indies I've been concentrating on getting my game in order and I've had a fantastic opportunity at Lancashire to do that.

''I came back a week last Sunday and from Tuesday I've been back at Old Trafford batting and bowling, managed to have a couple of games and rediscovered my form a bit. The captaincy was not something I was hanging out for.

''I'm happier with the way I'm playing. I've got a couple of 60s and I was able to get my head down and play at Southampton on a tricky wicket against some quality bowlers.

''I'm pleased with the way things have gone because I've worked hard and it seems to be coming back a bit now. By no means have I reached where I want to be, but I'm going in the right direction.

"I'm a lot happier with the way I'm playing than I probably was a month ago.''

His decision to stay on in the Caribbean following England's World Cup exit and enjoy a family holiday with wife Rachael and children Holly and Corey has helped his rehabilitation.

He is now more focused and confident, but if he is unable to bowl the selctors may choose Owais Shah as a specialist batsman instead.

''Being in the West Indies for that week after England went out gave me a bit of time to reflect about what had happened in the winter and more importantly helped me move on from that,'' said Flintoff.