Gros Islet: England’s Andrew Flintoff was sacked as World Cup vice-captain and dropped for their Group C game against Canada on Sunday after a late-night drinking session.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Flintoff will not be considered for the England captaincy should Michael Vaughan be injured at any stage during the World Cup.

Flintoff led England in the southern summer when Vaughan was sidelined with injuries. England surrendered the Ashes Test series 0-5, but recovered to win the limited-overs tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.

Flintoff was alleged to have been out drinking until the early hours of Saturday morning after the loss to New Zealand and, according to British media, had to be rescued from the ocean at 4 a.m. by hotel staff.

“Andrew Flintoff has been given warnings about his conduct and disciplined for previous incidents of this nature,” England coach Duncan Fletcher said. “In light of this and due to the serious nature of the incident which he was involved in at the hotel on Friday night, we have decided to take further disciplinary action against him.”

Flintoff would be considered for selection for the rest of the World Cup, he said.

Five other players were fined Saturday for being out late following the loss to New Zealand. Fletcher identified them as fast bowlers James Anderson, Liam Plunkett and John Lewis, wicketkeeper Paul Nixon and batsman Ian Bell.

“All players involved wish to express their sincere regret for the embarrassment caused to their team mates, the England supporters and the ECB,” Fletcher said in a statement.

Flintoff did not travel with the team to the Canada match and was replaced by allrounder Ravi Bopara.

Under the headline “Flintoff's shipfaced,” a British newspaper reported that Flintoff had been out drinking with the other players at a nightclub near the team’s hotel in St Lucia. The report said England supporters saw the players out late and contacted newspapers.

The paper, citing anonymous sources, said Flintoff took a pedalo from a beach near the team’s hotel after an 8-hour drinking session, paddled it out to sea and rocked it side-to-side before it capsized.

“He’s full of shame. He said he can’t believe he’s done it,” the paper quoted an unnamed source, reportedly close to Flintoff, as saying.

The decision to suspend Flintoff brought praise from former England captain Nasser Hussain, who said the 29-year-old had been given “three or four warnings about his drinking” prior to Sunday. Hussain was Flintoff’s captain for four years.

“There is a history to this story,” Hussain told a sports channel. “It is not the first time. In Australia he had three or four warnings about his drinking.

“The management felt enough is enough. At some stage you have to have some strong management, even with your best cricketer. Well done England for finally for having some strong management.”

Bob Willis, another former England captain, concurred: “I think Freddie has been making a fool of himself since the celebrations of the 2005 Ashes. This is not the first time it has happened and I fear it won’t be the last but I hope he can actually take stock of himself.

“He can’t behave like that. Some of the players in the squad are only going to have one opportunity to play in a World Cup and they don’t need their talisman behaving like that.”

But Ian Botham, England’s great allrounder, defended Flintoff. “I think it’s an overreaction,” Botham said. “Did people complain in 2005 when we won the Ashes? Some people go to bed at 10.30 p.m. tired, other people like to go for a drink.”

Flintoff struggled for consistency in his early years. He earned a Test debut in 1998 aged 20, but two years later was struggling with his weight and motivation.

Back problems affected his fast bowling and he was sent to the ECB’s academy in 2001. He returned for England’s tour of India in December 2001 and after recovering from a hernia operation, scored his maiden Test hundred in 2002.