No emotion over Flintoff – Strauss

England will take the emotion out of the decision over whether the injured Andrew Flintoff plays in what could be the Ashes-deciding Test at Headingley from Friday. Flintoff will bowl for the first time since the end of the third game at training today and wants to wait until the morning of the game to determine if his right knee is strong enough to face Australia.

The hosts, who have a 14-man squad and a 1-0 lead, are also happy to delay their decision, but the captain Andrew Strauss said Flintoff would not be the only person having a say. Flintoff is a mighty figure to the team and the country, but Strauss will not be sentimental.

"We're going to have to [take the emotion out]," Strauss said. "It's the fourth Test of an Ashes series, we're close to the finish line and although we're all desperate for him to play, we need to be realistic enough to realise that if he's not fit then he shouldn't play."

Flintoff was England's main man on the final day at Lord's when he took five wickets to guide them to victory, but his discomfort seemed to increase as the third Test wore on. He scored a muscular 74 in the side's only innings at Edgbaston and did not make a breakthrough in 30 overs.

Strauss said a range of views would be canvassed on Flintoff's health, but the decision is out of the allrounder's hands. "Judging whether he's fit or not comes down to the medical team," he said. "The player himself has a view, and a little bit [goes] on what the coach and myself have seen. It's a multitude of factors. Fred's not the only one we'll listen to."

England's inflated outfit includes the batsman Jonathan Trott and bowlers Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison, whose chances of playing improve considerably if Flintoff is ruled out. "We've covered all bases with the squad we've picked," Strauss said. "We will have to wait to see how Fred is. In a way there are potentially hard decisions to make."

By early next week Strauss could be an Ashes-winning captain and he told his players they would have to deal with the extra demands at Headingley. They will not be employing a cautious approach even though the pitch at The Oval, the venue for the final match, is likely to favour another stalemate.

"Coming here expecting there to be a draw, or hoping to be a draw, is the wrong way to go," he said. "It's not the way we're looking to approach it, we're looking to win the game and in doing so win the Ashes. It's a massive Test and, as always is the case in an Ashes series, the closer you get to the finish, it becomes more dramatic and the pressure and expectation rise a level".