The immensely popular Andrew Flintoff is hoping to learn a patient approach to his recovery programme as he attempts to regain full fitness for the start of the new season, cricket365.com reported on its website.

The 30-year-old all-rounder has been sidelined following a fourth operation on his troublesome left ankle last October and is making the first tentative steps on the road to recovery.

He made his comeback as a specialist batsman for England Lions in a one-day game earlier this week and was sidelined with a stomach bug for Saturday's outing, but was hopeful of returning for the final match of their tour.

Just returning to England colours again was a major bonus for a player who has not played without discomfort since the start of the 2006 summer, but the true test will come when he attempts to bowl again and really test his ankle.

"The key to my rehabilitation is to take things slowly and not get ahead of myself," stressed Flintoff, whose last appearance in England colours was during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament last September, where he bowled every single delivery wincing with pain.

"In the past I've wanted to get back as soon as I could, but I know this time I must take my time and make sure everything is right before I contemplate bowling again.

"I think the hardest thing for me is to hold myself back at times because I can be my own worst enemy. I'm desperate to get out there and play a full part again but that won't happen until I'm 100% ready and everyone is confident I can do it without suffering any discomfort."

Such is the interest in Flintoff and the prospect of his return as an international-class all-rounder, he remains the centre of attention wherever he plays - not least at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai when he made his comeback for the Lions earlier this week.

"I haven't bowled in the nets or anything so far - the only ball I've bowled was to Michael Yardy at mid-off during the game which got a few people quite excited that I was going to come on and bowl, but that was never going to happen," Flintoff was quoted as having said.

He added that it felt quite strange fielding for 50 overs without any prospect of bowling because he was so used to being involved with bowling and batting.

Following his time with the Lions, Flintoff will return home before flying out with Lancashire to take part in a tournament including Yorkshire, Somerset, Durham, Essex and UAE in Dubai, by which time he hopes to begin bowling again.

"When I return home I hope to begin walking through my bowling action as the first step towards getting back to bowling again," he confirmed. "If everything goes to plan I will do a little bit of bowling in the tournament in Dubai and hopefully, I can get fully fit for the start of the season with Lancashire."

Flintoff said that he does not feel any discomfort when batting or fielding. But the true test will come when he gets back to bowling, especially in tight situations.

"The true test won't come until I have to bowl flat out again and I can really test it properly. The big temptation is to be impatient and really rush it, but all the medical people have told me to take it slowly and I'm determined to do that this time.

"It would be foolish to rush it and set myself back again - I want to come back as good as new this time. I'm being monitored by the medical staff at every step and I will do everything I can to get back as an all-rounder again."

Having suffered numerous setbacks in the last 18 months - he has made three comebacks for England alone - Flintoff is desperate to start the second phase of his career again and is just as eager to perform with the bat as well as with the ball.

Flintoff made just four on his comeback earlier this week and conceded: "I was disappointed not to score a few more runs than I did but I came out when we were looking to score runs quickly in a run chase.

"I've not played any cricket now since the Twenty20 in South Africa, so it's going to take me some time to get back into it again. I've been working hard on my batting over the last few weeks and a bit of time in the middle wouldn't go amiss, but I know it's going to take time before I'm where I want to be again.