England Cricket / Ralph Ellis / 16 July 2008 / Leave a comment

Andrew Flintoff's return to the England side is welcome and overdue but the magician's contribution must be judged soberly.

Not being fit is a good way to become a better player. That's certainly what's happened to Andrew Flintoff the last few months if you believe all that's being said and written about his return to action. A man who has struggled to make a significant impact with either bat or ball since the Ashes heroics of 2005 has turned back into a world beater. He's the magician we are missing to take key wickets on flat pitches and score big runs.

Well Freddie is definitely in the side to start the second npower Test at Headingley. Michael Vaughan has made that clear. But who will be the unlucky player to make way for his return is a fairly secondary question. With England still outsiders at a healthy [4.2] to win the match what we need to know is whether he can live up to the Superman billing. Or is it all just hype and hope? Today's papers offer some clues.

You'd expect coach Peter Moores to be enthusiastic about bringing back his star all-rounder. He's told Colin Bateman in the Daily Express that Flintoff will add charisma and enthusiasm to the England dressing room behind the scenes as well as on the pitch. Monty Panesar, writing in his Daily Mail column, has also heaped praise on the contribution Freddie makes to team spirit. "When you want things to happen he can get fired up and lead by example," says the spinner. "Freddie will say: 'Come on, let's go, follow me.' And people do follow him. I'll never forget the Mumbai Test in 2006 when we won to square the series against India. Something special was needed on the last day so Freddie got us all singing Ring of Fire in the dressing room during the lunch break. After that we were unstoppable."

That's all positive stuff, but beware. Singing songs in the dressing room and cracking a joke doesn't win Test matches on its own, otherwise we could all do it. Whether Flintoff's return does make a difference will depend not on how he hams it up among the lads, but on how he performs with the ball in his hand. And for evidence on that we need to turn to The Sun's cricket correspondent John Etheridge. He's talked to Lancashire chief Mike Watkinson who has watched every ball the superstar all-rounder has bowled or faced this year. And he DOES think that Freddie is ready to have an impact in his first Test match for 18 months.

He says: "As far as his bowling is concerned he is 100 per cent. There are no issues at all with his fitness and he is bowling as well as ever. His batting technique is sound and he has a couple of scores under his belt now. He just needs to get back the rhythm of playing longer innings. He has been feeling nervous about building an innings and his batting has taken time to click."

So the signs are good to make it worth backing England, the outsiders - or at the very least laying South Africa at [2.9]. England at [3.7] for the series is also still a good bet. Don't forget that the team which had been unchanged for a record six matches had won four of the first five of them, and then dominated the last one. It makes them a good value bet, especially at Headingley which often favours the bowlers who can make the ball swing more than the pure pace of the South Africans.

Five things you might not know about Freddie Flintoff

1. He has twice won the Beard Liberation Front's award for Beard of the Year

2. His dad Colin - who memorably nearly caught a six that Flintoff hit into the Ryder Stand at Edgbaston against the West Indies - still plays for Whittingham Cricket Club near Preston

3. He's a marginal Manchester City fan - although says he prefers to watch either form of Rugby to football

4. His sponsors include Harley Davidson motorbikes

5. Like David Beckham he's launched his own sporting academies to help produce the next generation of England superstars.

Tags: Andrew Flintoff, Cricket Betting, England, Michael Vaughan, South Africa