LANCASHIRE all-rounder Andrew Flintoff faces a make-or-break fitness test in the nets on Thursday which will effectively determine whether he is to play a part in the early stages of the Ashes series this winter.

The Lancs vice-captain will be put through his paces in a full net session at the Bellerive Oval, where the tourists will take on a strong Australia A team in a three-day match starting on Friday.

Flintoff's performance will be monitored carefully with England still not convinced he is fit enough to force his way into their selection plans following a double hernia operation last August.

He has played just once on the tour, with his recovery from surgery taking far longer than England expected, when he faced Queensland in the build-up to the opening Test defeat at the Gabba 10 days ago.

Since then he has had a scan to investigate the inevitable stiffness after his first competitive match in two months, but unless he can prove his fitness and feature in this weekend's match, the tourists cannot possibly consider him for the back-to-back Tests in Adelaide and Perth which follow.