The timing of the announcement of Andrew Flintoff's Test-match retirement was a bolt out of the azure, coming as it did the day before a vital Ashes game, but the news itself was not a surprise. It has been evident for some time that Flintoff's body has been unable to cope with the rigours of bowling in Test cricket, something he has now realised.

But as England and Australia went about their business yesterday, putting the finishing touches to their preparations, the talk was only of one man. Cameramen and reporters worked furiously in the memorial garden at Lord's - jesters at the court of King Flintoff - as the players took nets in rare anonymity on the Nursery Ground. It was an odd statement of priorities.

The timing and manner of a player's retirement is for that player alone, but there is little doubt that Flintoff's news, on the eve of the most important day in the cricketing calendar, was calculated for maximum effect. This is, as he admitted, something he has been thinking about for some time. According to the player it is an attempt to circumvent any speculation about his future, but there has been precious little of that. The only speculation has concerned his fitness or otherwise for this Test.

Alec Stewart and Steve Waugh are notable cricketers in recent years who have announced their retirements early in a summer, both finishing on their home grounds after weeks of adoration. Other recently retired players, though, have announced theirs with greater consideration: Shane Warne did so in Melbourne in 2006 but only after the Ashes had been won; Glenn McGrath, likewise, two days later. Michael Vaughan announced his this summer before the Ashes began so not to distract from the bigger picture.

How Flintoff's retirement plays out depends on how England and he perform. If things go well, at Lord's and beyond, then the all-rounder will be the envy of many players who have tried and failed to finish on the highest note. Every run scored, every wicket taken will be greeted in frenzied fashion; every time he walks out on to the field, he will carry the affection and thanks of a grateful public. Imagine the roar with which he will be greeted this morning.

But, as Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, pointed out yesterday during a round of press conferences during which the match was hardly mentioned, there is the danger that Flintoff's retirement could become a bit of a circus. If things go badly for Flintoff and the team, there will be those who say that selection should be unsentimental and there will be pressure to move on. It is an announcement that has raised the stakes, as if they were not big enough already.

The timing is odd, but it needs to be remembered that Flintoff has just been through another week of pain and injections. Injuries are soul-destroying for any sportsman, but especially for one, like Flintoff, who thrives on the sociability and companionship that playing sport offers. Each operation is followed by a period of recuperation, first at home, when you are no use to wife or children, and then by lonely hours at the gym and with the physiotherapist who becomes your agony aunt, best mate and worst enemy rolled into one. Those with the drive and ambition of youth can cope with what is a kind of hell, but for those with money in the bank, fame assured or for those whose glory days are behind them, the process quickly loses its attractions.

For all the talk of Flintoff's unprofessionalism - the drinking, the late nights - he has put himself through some incredibly rigorous rehabilitation regimes and has simply lost the will to do it again. “Two of the last four years I've spent in rehabilitation and I can't keep doing it, for myself, my own sanity and my family,” he said.

Flintoff has always considered himself a batting all-rounder, an assertion seen in some quarters as self-delusional. Certainly, he has had greater impact as a bowler throughout his Test career, but perhaps he suspected all along that his body was more suited to the less rigorous demands of batsmanship and of bowling in one-day cricket.

Ever since his teenage years at Lancashire, when he suffered spinal injuries that prevented him from bowling, his bones have not been able to cope with the jarring that comes from his huge 17-stone frame pounding down on surfaces that have become less cushioned since the covering of pitches and the advent of hard loams. He has never been light on his feet, in the manner of a Michael Holding, nor has he been able to bowl successfully at anything less than full throttle. His spine, hips, knees and ankles have taken a battering and cried enough.

The principal reason for Flintoff's decision, then, is the state of his body, but a contributing factor would be the demands on modern cricketers if they want to play all three forms of the game at the highest level. Jacob Oram, the New Zealand all-rounder, said this year that it was virtually impossible to be an all-rounder in the modern game, given the intense physical demands. Shane Watson, the Australia all-rounder, is injured and Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies all-rounder, was absent from Tests this year.

The advent of domestic Twenty20 leagues providing alternative comforts and increased revenue streams allow for an easy way out. At the beginning of the season, Andrew “Chubby” Chandler, Flintoff's agent, indicated that the 31-year-old and Test cricket were soon to become estranged from each other. The game must try to balance better its various formats.

Beyond this season, Flintoff will become the first postmodern cricketer. The first, while still playing cricket for England (he remains available for one-day internationals), to forgo all first-class cricket. Instead, he will play one-day cricket for Lancashire, England, Chennai Super Kings and any other Twenty20 team that can afford him.

The next few weeks, though, will be about enjoying the final moments of Flintoff the Test cricketer. When Bill Woodfull, the great Australia batsman, retired, he did so after a net session at the MCG. “That's it, I've had enough,” he said after taking off his pads. Flintoff has had enough, but his retirement will be a much more public affair.