England Cricket / Editor / 07 February 2007 /

England coach Duncan Fletcher has admitted that Andrew Flintoff is a more effective player when not burdened with the captaincy.

The 29-year-old captained England in the Ashes series as Michael Vaughan's knee injury kept him out of the 5-0 humiliation, and he stepped into the breach once again when Vaughan's return to action in the one-day game was cut short with a hamstring injury.

The all-rounder has continued to bowl with pace and accuracy but his batting has suffered and he has become a shadow of the player who hit the Aussies to all parts during the summer of 2005 in England.

Many pundits felt that Andrew Strauss, who deputised for Flintoff last summer, should have kept the job Down Under this winter but the England management went for Freddie's 'lead-from-the-front' style ahead of the more laid-back approach adopted by Strauss.

Whether or not the pressure of captaincy has affected Flintoff's game is open to question but Fletcher believes that he is more relaxed when back in the ranks.

"We feel when he's not captain he feels a little bit freer, his bowling is a lot more confident and there's a weight off his shoulders," he said.

"He seems a lot more relaxed. Anyone who's not captain of the side would be a little bit more relaxed.

"I don't think there's a captain who goes in there and feels very relaxed when he's leading his country."

Vaughan is struggling to be fit for the first of the best-of-three finals at the MCG on Friday and, despite his admission, Fletcher revealed that Flintoff will be handed the captain's armband once again should the Yorkshireman pull out of the game in Melbourne.

Betfair punters do not believe it matters who captains the tourists, as they are 6.2 to win the first match and 9.4 to claim the tournament.

The Aussies trade at 1.18 to win on Friday and 1.11 to win the competition.

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