England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has found a place where he can still sneak a pint of lager ahead of the Ashes series.

And, it is none other than the Australian dressing room, where he is welcomed by vice-captain Michael Clarke, among several others.

"I had spent a bit of time in the changing-room with him in Australia. There are going to be some tough times on the pitch and I think it would be silly for us not to catch up and congratulate each other and grab a beer or whatever," the News of the World quoted Clarke as saying.

According to reports, Flintoff is close to several of the Australian players and when England were thrashed 5-0 Down Under in 2007, former coach Duncan Fletcher claimed that the all-rounder was in the Australia dressing-room and drank until midnight after the Second Test in Adelaide.

Earlier, Strauss read Flintoff's riot act over his drinking escapades last week and fined him after a boozy night in Belgium left him unable to catch the team bus the next morning.