HAVING just helped England to a first Ashes victory at Lord’s since 1934 and in the process bagging himself five wickets, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has firmly etched himself into the annals of English cricket.
On the eve of the Lord’s Test match Freddie announced his retirement from Test cricket following the completion of the Ashes. It came as no surprise to me to hear that he had decided to pack in the longer format of the game having been hampered with injury ever since he came onto the international stage. However, I found his timing a bit of a mystery and potentially a distraction from the bigger picture - regaining the Ashes. In retrospect, perhaps it was the inspiration that England cricket needed in order to produce such a fantastic win. Certainly performance levels were much higher in this second test and the crowd more buoyant every time Flintoff was involved. At times the Aussies must have felt as though England were fielding an extra player.
Having begun his Test career back in 1998 at the tender age of 21 he has since amassed 77 test appearances. Over this time he has struggled with a whole host of injuries that befit any bowler who strives to bowl at 90mph on a regular basis with a build such as Flintoff’s. At times he has been his own worst enemy and had ongoing battles with fitness and occasions of ill-discipline and behaviour, often being drink fuelled - remember the ‘Fredalo’ incident? But perhaps this is par for the course for any international superstar, who at times struggles to cope with the pressures and weight of expectations.
He was unfairly given the burden of being the next Botham during his early years, as in turn, some poor soul will soon be labelled as being the next Flintoff! Statistical comparisons aside, it cannot be doubted that over the past ten years he has been one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. However, like Botham, once the wickets and runs are forgotten what makes Fred such compulsive viewing is the way in which he creates such an invincible aura and turns every action into an event. Once he steps across the white line Andrew Flintoff disappears and his alter ego ‘Fred’ comes alive. Few players will ever achieve the mantle of being compulsive viewing and put bums on seats. Fred does and will continue to do so for the remainder of this series as long as he stays fit, fingers crossed.
The fairytale ending is well within grasp for the talisman of English cricket and perhaps the 2009 Ashes might be called ‘Fred’s Ashes’ in years to come.
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