Andrew Flintoff: What does Freddie have left in the tank?

England Cricket / Paul Moon / 12 March 2010 / 1 Comments

Flintoff is huhgged by James Anderson in his last-ever Test

"Lancashire must expect his influence to be minimal and for his absences for one reason or another to be frequent and they must plan accordingly. The IPL and the England ODI team will be the most financially-rewarding way to end his career and therefore his main concerns."

As Andrew Flintoff attempts to come back from yet another injury, Paul Moon questions his commitment to Lancashire and whether we'll ever see him play for his country again.

After undergoing a successful micro-fracture operation on his right knee in January Andrew Flintoff now believes he will be able play four-day cricket. He had originally intended to just play one-day cricket for Lancashire, England and IPL Franchise the Chennai Super Kings. Lancashire coach Peter Moores followed up by saying that Andrew has a real desire to play for his county and influence the dressing room for the forthcoming 2010 LV County Championship campaign. Some of us are not so sure.

Initially there will be good intentions. Flintoff will reaffirm his loyalty to his county and his return is good news for Lancashire's fans. But despite him signing a new three-year deal at Old Trafford last November, talk of him putting in the hard yards in order for Lancashire to be successful is both disingenuous and fantasy! A look at his medical history tells us all we need to know and it is most unlikely he will ever regain full fitness again. After an initial surge of effort and emotion, expect him to opt out and cherry pick his engagements.

Betfair prices for Division One Winner of the County Championship show: Durham [3.05] Hampshire [6.6] Nottinghamshire [7.2] Kent [8.2] Somerset [10] Lancashire [11.5] Warwickshire [15.5] Essex [18] Yorkshire [20]

Lancashire must expect his influence to be minimal and for his absences for one reason or another to be frequent and they must plan accordingly. The IPL and the England ODI team will be the most financially-rewarding way to end his career and therefore his main concerns. He will only play the longer formatted cricket if it suits his diary.

The former larrikin has now turned cricketing globetrotter. Significantly, the house in Prestbury that he bought from Mark Hughes in October 2007 for under £2m, is now up for sale at £5m just days before the builders completed its renovations. The consensus is that the mansion is bound to attract attention from Premier League footballers based in the region.

The 32-year-old has since relocated to Dubai where he owns a home in the exclusive Festival City district. There he has become an ambassador promoting Dubai as a great place to live and play sport. His three children are settled at school there and it looks unlikely he will be living in Lancashire in the near future. Flintoff and his model wife Rachel also own properties in London, Barbados and Tenerife.

Some will be disturbed by the appearance of greed and the 'have bat will travel' mentality. Others would say that Freddie has merely accepted his injured frame (he has also developed deep vein thrombosis) and deserves to cream off the top for services rendered to English cricket. It is hard to blame an individual for making the most of a situation but for those concerned with the integrity of cricket, these actions could have ramifications in the form of copycat behaviour.

Unable to fulfil the second year of his contract with Chennai he will now look forward to the IPL in 2011. Latest Betfair prices on the IPL3: Delhi Daredevils [5.1] Bangalore Royal Challengers [7.0] Deccan Chargers [7.0] Mumbai Indians [7.6] Chennai Super Kings [8.0] Kolkata Knight Riders [9.0] Kings XI Punjab [10.5] Rajasthan Royals [11.0].

Meanwhile, Flintoff has made himself available for ODI and Twenty20 cricket and looking at his rehabilitation and fitness plans it is possible he could play in the Twenty20 match on 5th September for England against Pakistan at the Swalec Stadium, Cardiff. The party line is that he will have to prove his fitness first but with him there has always been a history of accommodating him as long as he's anywhere near bring fit. If he returns quicker than expected he might improve Lancashire's chances of a trophy in the one-day game.

No one would dare to write off Flintoff making another impact in international cricket but post his latest injury we might see a slightly different cricketer! Because he wants to play limited over cricket his batting, where he has enormously underachieved, could have a new lease of life, an indian summer if you like. Expect him to bat up the order, probably higher than he ever has. In Twenty20 it makes sense for him to bat as high as number four.

Of course it remains possible that he has already played his last game for England, something most of us would rather not consider. One senses that his next breakdown will be his last. Flintoff has recognised this and has been busy thinking of how best to exploit his name once he hangs up his cricket bat for good.

Comments (1)

1. The Wicketkeeper | 13 March 2010

   Freddie has been an exceptional cricketer for county and country and will always be comparred with the legendary Sir Ian Botham .

   Unfortunately over the years his eating and drinking habits did him no favours and this took a toll on his large framed body and it was inevitable that injuries would play a big part in his future .

   From 2007 -2009 he only played 13 out of 36 tests for England , He has confirmed that the Operation for a Micro fracture to his right knee was a bigger success than he thought and has said he would like to play One day cricket and 20 /20 .

   At the age of 33 this year I dont think that his body will take much more punishment and when the Chennai super Kings bought him for USD 1,550,000 which was 600,000 above his asking price , makes him the highest ever IPL player ( really knew the risks).

   He may come back but not as we know it, he has a lovely home in dubai and in other parts of the world .I know he likes the good life, we all do .

   In my opinion Freddie has had his day and we have fond memories of him and even if he does get half as fit as he was why should anyone step down to let him play.