Andrew Flintoff makes first public appearance since suffering facial injuries during accident last December

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff made his first public appearance since suffering serious facial injuries last December. The 45-year-old joined the national team's backroom staff in an unofficial and unpaid role for the four-game ODI series against New Zealand.

The former seam-bowling all-rounder suffered the injuries while filming for the BBC show Top Gear. He had to be airlifted to a hospital after crashing a car at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, thereby sustaining broken ribs and suffering facial and jaw injuries.

Flintoff had reportedly arrived in Cardiff overnight and participated in some fielding drills during England's heavy defeat to New Zealand in the 1st ODI on Friday. The retired cricketer was wearing an England bucket hat and could be seen chatting to the coaching staff on the balcony.

"He's not been brought in with any specific role" - Jos Buttler on Andrew Flintoff

England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler clarified that the think tank brought in Flintoff only to observe and offer some inputs. He said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"He's been starting to do some stuff in cricket. He's obviously an England legend and it's just nice to have him around the group. He's not been brought in with any specific role, just to be around and observe. A few of the lads can pick his brains a little bit and he's settled in really well."

Meanwhile, the Englishmen had a day to forget as New Zealand consigned them to an eight-wicket loss in the 1st ODI in Cardiff. Batting first, the hosts made 291 in 50 overs as Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Buttler, and Liam Livingstone raised half-centuries. However, the Kiwis chased it down easily, with Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway striking breezy centuries. David Willey and Adil Rashid were the only ones amongst the wickets.

The second ODI starts on Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.