ANDY FLINTOFF'S shock return has helped Lancashire to within two matches of another Lord's final.

The England all-rounder showed no signs of his shoulder injury as he thumped 31 from 29 balls, then took a nonchalant slip catch in a crushing C&G Trophy win against Durham which set up a quarter-final against Middlesex at Old Trafford in a fortnight.

And now Freddie is set to hand the county a Championship boost by lining up against Kent at Canterbury on Friday.

He was included in England's one-day squad and the only question now is whether he will prove his fitness to bowl in Kent, which could even put him back in contention for the Second Test against Zimbabwe next week.

"I was playing as a batter today and I looked after myself in the field," he said after Lancashire's 143-run win.

"It's difficult to put a time frame on things, but hopefully I'll be

bowling sooner rather than later."

Stuart Law and Carl Hooper were the batting stars of Lancashire's win, with James Anderson and Peter Martin sharing the bowling honours.

Law won the official man of the match award for the way he took the attack to the Durham seamers in a 48-ball half century after Lancashire had been put in on a tricky pitch.

The Queenslander stunned Neil Killeen with two huge sixes over long off, and also hit five fours.