Flintoff stays upbeat despite crushing defeat
England captain Andrew Flintoff was "not too despondent" after England's 166-run defeat by the Prime Minister's X1 in Canberra today.
Flintoff chose to take the positives out of the match which saw England humiliated in their first match in Australia as they bid to retain the Ashes, won so magnificently in the summer of 2005.
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Flintoff told Sky Sports: "We were outplayed on the day. They played a fantastic game of cricket.
"But I'm not going to get too despondent. We are slow starters and have been in other series.
"But we have two games next week and are looking to improve."
He said: "One game has gone, a one-day game. The longer form of the game is to come before we start a huge series in Brisbane."
Flintoff played up the performances of Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood.
He added: "There were a few positives. It was nice for me to get 10 overs under my belt and Ashley Giles is bowling again. Strauss and Collingwood played well for a period so we have to look to those things.
"I think over the next week or so we will be looking at the middle-order batting positions. After the New South Wales game we will know a bit more about where we are at."
The England captain is pleased about his fitness levels.
He said: "The ankle is fine. I'm pleased with the way I bowled. It became a different pitch when the ball got old.
"A few runs wouldn't go amiss for me, though"
