Freddie Flintoff grins as facial injuries from his Top Gear crash continue to heal while working as England team’s unpaid mentor at Lord’s

Andrew Flintoff is pictured smiling as he helped the England cricketers warm up before their final One Day International match against New Zealand at Lord’s on Friday.

England are currently 2-1 ahead in the four-match series after recording a dominant 181-run win against the Kiwis on Wednesday.

Ben Stokes played with the bat and hit a record 182 runs, the highest score by an English player in 782 one-day internationals dating back 52 years.

Flintoff, meanwhile, recently rejoined the England ranks in an unpaid mentorship role.

It came after the 45-year-old was involved in a serious accident last December while filming Top Gear, with the ex-England star recently showing off injuries that appear to be slowly healing.

Flintoff quietly returns to cricket after being involved in a near-fatal accident last December while filming for BBC show Top Gear

The 45-year-old was seen for the first time since the accident last week and has taken on a mentor role within the England camp

The near-fatal crash left Flintoff seriously scarred, but the man synonymous with England’s legendary Ashes success in 2005 has subsequently returned to the cricket field to offer his wisdom and advice to Jos Butler’s short-handed side ahead of this autumn’s Cricket World Cup.

According to reports, Flintoff had been present during the recent Ashes series in England, attending several matches wearing a scarf and hat to conceal his injuries and sitting in a private room with his friend Rob Key to watch the matches.

He made his first public appearance since his car crash during his quiet reintroduction to the sport earlier this week, pictured at the first ODI match between England and New Zealand at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

Since then, his presence in the England camp has become increasingly prominent, with Mail Sport columnist Stuart Broad admitting he was impressed by Flintoff’s performance.

Today at Lord’s, the former all-rounder was seen donning the mitts again and training with the players ahead of the match.

Flintoff has been praised by a number of players in the team, with Chris Woakes admitting this week that it was ‘surreal’ to have the cricket legend in the team.

“It’s great to have Freddie in the group and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s the first time I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Woakes said.

“I’ve met him a few times, but to have him in the group – to me, he was a hero of mine growing up.

‘It’s really surreal to pick his brain and chat a bit of rubbish with him in the dressing room. It is awesome!’

England are currently 2-1 up against New Zealand in the series and will be hoping to secure another win today as they prepare for the upcoming Cricket World Cup

Flintoff suffered broken ribs and facial injuries that were still visible, but he was pictured grinning as he helped his team warm up.

He was also seen catching a few balls with a glove at Lord’s today, with Flintoff being praised for his catching skills by Mail Sport columnist Stuart Broad.

Flintoff (pictured) was also praised by fast bowler Chris Woakes, who said: ‘To pick his brain and chat some rubbish with him in the dressing room is really surreal. It is awesome!’

Broad also gave some insight into Flintoff’s role in England’s set-up, saying:

“He’s done some work with England Under-19s, which he really enjoyed, and he had just arrived in Cardiff to settle into this group for this series.

‘Freddie Flintoff is said to have inspired this side in ’05 and before, so he’s an icon of English cricket and a legend of the game, so just to be able to spend some time around him and pick his brain and the aura to feel what he has within the group.

“The opportunity for him, I know it’s a training shirt, but to put the Three Lions shirt back on is really special.”