One of England's winter success stories, the Lancashire all-rounder returned home having produced Test best performances with both bat and ball.
Found himself sharing the new ball with Matthew Hoggard in India and took four for 50 in the third Test at Bangalore, but looked more comfortable as first change after Andy Caddick joined the squad in New Zealand.
All at sea with the bat against the Indian spinners, Flintoff put that behind him by contributing a belligerent 137 to a stand of 281 with Graham Thorpe against New Zealand in Christchurch, and followed that by hammering 75 off 44 balls in the second Test at Wellington.
Persistent back problems now appear to be a thing of the past thanks to a new fitness regime and if FLintoff can maintain his improvement, he is likely to be a key figure for England for several years to come.
Certainly has the necessary desire for success, as he showed by tearing off his shirt and sprinting around the outfield bare chested after claiming the last wicket in England's series-squaring one-day win over India in Bombay.
