“[Flintoff's] absence leaves England with the dilemma of whether to select an extra batsman, in which case Trott would make his Test debut, or a bowler, either the mercurial talents of tall fast bowler Harmison or left-arm seamer Sidebottom” – BBC report on this morning’s ashes squad.
“I’m looking to spending more time with my family and watching Coronation Street. Corrie’s a real favourite in our house – I love it!” – Freddie Flintoff on his retirement from Test cricket.
We’re fairly sure this video from Puma, featuring Freddie Flintoff, isn’t of a real product but an attempt to get a rise out of the Aussies by implying they don’t have much to be rising, so to speak.
“Just for clarification. Earlier this year Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff were not away at the Indian Premier League for months on end, pushing their bodies to tortuous extremes every day. They went for a couple of weeks.” Do you agree?
“I’m afraid Flintoff isn’t an option…” – cartoon riffing on Fred’s current popularity on PoliticalBetting.com.
“The fans had come knowing that in the years to come they would be able to tell their grandchildren that they watched Flintoff’s last Test at Lord’s. The cherry on the trifle, of course, was that their hero was providing the man-of-the-match performance in England’s first win against Australia at headquarters since 1934, and only their second since 1896″ – Oliver Brett, TMS blog.
Some worrying news in the popular prints about two of England’s star players.
“Crucially, captain Andrew Strauss had maximised the resources afforded to him by a five-man bowling attack – a rare luxury in modern Test cricket despite the abundance of flat wickets – because Andrew Flintoff was well rested when the final session began. He absolutely motored in, almost hurling his body at the batsmen as well as the ball, and though it was Graham Onions’ wicket that started the Australian rot, there was a new-found edge to the cricket that could only be explained by Flintoff’s bowling” – TMS blogger Oliver Brett dissects yesterday’s performance.
“[Flintoff] will bowl on Wednesday and we will make a decision after that. He will know whether he can make a proper contribution to the Test” – England coach Andy Flower on Fred’s chances of playing on Thursday.
“The fact that it’s the Ashes and that people are expecting me to do things again is not something I take a lot of notice of. I go out there and give it my best shot and hopefully at The Oval, at the end of the fifth Test, we’re stood on the top of the podium again” – Andrew Flintoff