Flintoff celebrates dismissing Tendulkar (Getty Images)

He seems to have made more comebacks than Frank Sinatra.

But for those who have thought of Andy Flintoff as a joke, the last laugh was on the Lancashire all-rounder at Durban.

True, the beefy Botham in waiting has often not helped his own cause.

Suspicions of Flintoff's cullinary choices have regularly surfaced.

And Flintoff was at the centre of England's injury debacle prior to the winter's Ashes series when he was sent home from Australia before the first Test having failed to recover from a cartilage operation.

A distraught Flintoff was then furthered insulted by the England executive who claimed he had not worked hard enough on his fitness to be in good shape for the tour.

But his 2 for 15 off 10 overs against India in the Group A clash showed what he can achieve when he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders.

Flintoff came on to replace young James Anderson, who had been pummelled by Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

But while the cream of India's strokemakers tore the England bowling apart in the first 15 overs - Flintoff stood firm.

With an intoxicating mixture of pace, aggression, craft and accuracy, he tied them down and then celebrated by trapping a frustrated Tendulkar.

His mature 64 off 73 balls was England's only bright spot when they came to chase a testing but not over-imposing 251 for victory at Durban.

As delightful as it is to see Flintoff perform like this, it is frustrating to analyse why he can just as easily produce appalling displays.

The 25-year-old Flintoff still has time to become the world's premier all-rounder.

Let's face it the game is currently not blessed with players the calibre of Imran Khan, Kapil Dev or Botham.

The future is probably down to Flintoff himself.

He must work hard on his fitness and avoid stepping onto the ground carrying too much weight.

And he must work at being a technical batsman as well as late-order slogger.

A fit and firing Flintoff gives England a slight chance of ever getting the Ashes back.