Michael Atherton said the fact England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was in the news for missing the team bus during a squad weekend away was an unwanted "distraction" ahead of the Ashes.

Ex-England captain Flintoff, 31, joining up with the squad for the first time after several months out with a knee injury, missed the team bus for Saturday's visit to the World War One trenches at Ypres in Belgium.