With back, groin and ankle injuries - plus on one occasion the birth of his daughter - keeping Flintoff out of action, the team now realises they must have a Plan B in his absence.
Even if they are there, these B-modes will be very hard to detect, and the Planck team does not intend to make a statement on the issue until a further year of analysis has been completed.
Players in group 'B' have significant first-class experience and are perceived to be one to three years away from the England team while 'C' players are generally younger with less experience.