Melbourne, Oct.1 The Victorian Bushrangers are hoping to secure the services of England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for the upcoming Twenty20 Big Bash should Muttiah Muralitharan miss the competition because of international commitments.

Muralitharan could miss out on the Australian season as Sri Lanka could contest a tri-series with India and Bangladesh early in the new year.

But coach Greg Shipperd denied today the Bushrangers had been caught out by the potential clash of schedules.

"We were aware, you do have a futures tour programme and it (the sub-continental tri-series) was there," The Independent quoted Shipperd, as saying.

"But with the flexibility of tours being pulled out and put back in, I think we took an educated risk to name him now and if it comes off then we've certainly lost nothing. If he's unavailable then certainly we'll go looking for an adequate replacement and there'll be lots out there," he added.

Asked whether England all-rounder Flintoff, who retired from Test cricket after the Ashes series to concentrate on the shorter forms of the game, would be a potential target, Shipperd said: "Every player that's playing at the moment that's fit and available would be a possibility for us." (ANI)