Andrew Flintoff pictured beaming as he rejoins England coaching setup ahead of final Test of the summer against Sri Lanka after his moving documentary aired on BBC following Top Gear crash

Andrew Flintoff appeared to be loving life as he rejoined the England coaching setup ahead of the team's final Test of the summer.

Flintoff, 46, has taken on a coaching role with England over the past 12 months after returning to the sport following his horror Top Gear crash in December 2022.

He will not be involved when England face Australia in white-ball cricket later this month, with interim boss Marcus Trescothick taking charge prior to Brendon McCullum becoming England's all-format coach from January.

But Flintoff is gaining more experience with the Test team, and looked in good spirits at the Oval on Wednesday.

Flintoff, who still has visible scars on his face from his terrifying crash, was seen beaming as he got involved with the side's customary warm-up game of football, and was then happy to send down some deliveries for the batters as they prepare for the third Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on Friday.

Andrew Flintoff was in good spirits as he rejoined England's coaching setup on Wednesday

He got involved in England's customary warm-yup game of football at the Oval

He was also happy to throw down deliveries for batters as they prepare for Friday's Test

Stand-in skipper Ollie Pope is looking to guide England a clean sweep series win and their sixth victory on the trot after they beat West Indies 3-0 earlier this summer.

England are set to hand left-arm seamer Josh Hull his international debut, and the 20-year-old is likely to be feeling the nerves as he bids to prove he is the real deal despite his modest county championship record.

Yet the mood inside the England camp seems to be a relaxed one, with Flintoff clearly enjoying being back amongst the group.

His return to coaching comes after his moving documentary recently aired on the BBC.

The second series of Field of Dreams saw Flintoff take a bunch of unlikely lads from Lancashire on a once-in-a-lifetime tour of India.

Flintoff took a group of underprivileged teens out to India as part of his moving documentary

The Ashes hero received praise from viewers for his emotional BBC documentary

The reaction to the show has been overwhelmingly positive, with Flintoff, AKA Freddie, showing his softer side as he sat down for one-to-one chats with the underprivileged teens to address their worries and concerns.

The group took part in the Hindu festival of Holi, watched Kushti wrestling and sat down for a tarot reading.

Flintoff, who became a household name after starring in the 2005 Ashes, received praise from fans, with one person writing on X: 'Why does this programme make me cry? Because it is full of hope - full of lads from different backgrounds, different cultures working together with a brilliant mentor Freddie Flintoff who knows how to lift them up to reach their dreams. So brilliant and so needed.'

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