Andrew Flintoff has drawn stumps and England have lost a redoubtable cricketer. I use the word with great deliberation. Writing on a sportsman’s retirement is akin to giving a speech at a funeral. You feel compelled to say only good things about the deceased.
I cannot use the word ‘great’. I can, however, use the word ‘talismanic’.
Flintoff certainly excelled in two series against Australia. The 2005 Ashes triumph was his crowning achievement.
His nadir was the 2007 tour to Australia when England was beaten 5-0 and his own performances were underwhelming.
I cannot consider Flintoff as a great all rounder. His bowling average was slightly higher than his batting average and this, more often than not, separates the good from the great.
Ian Botham averaged 28 with the ball and 33 with the bat. Botham took 5 wickets in an innings on 27 occasions in his 102 Test matches which is close to once every four Tests. Flintoff did this on three occasions in his 79 Tests or once every 26 matches.
Flintoff hit a century roughly every 16 Tests. Botham’s one in every 7 Tests settles the argument.
Flintoff was merely good.
So how do we account for his cult status in England? He has always been popular with his peers and the abiding memory people will have of him was his consolation of a beaten Brett Lee in the Ashes. The sportsmanship of the man is what defines Andrew Flintoff.
His greatness lies not so much in his deeds as a cricketer, but more so as a decent human being.
He was a throwback to the cricketers of the 50’s and 60’s. He loved a drink and remained his own man. The spectators warmed to his whole hearted endeavours.
He was a big man with a big heart and it was no surprise that his ankles and knees took the terrible pounding that they did.
Science in the end gave up and Flintoff was disappointed he could not make a comeback: “Having been told that my body would no longer stand up to the rigours of cricket, I had no alternative but to retire.”
Right to the very end he remembered his supporters: “Last, but by no means least, I am indebted to the encouragement and support I have always received from England’s magnificent supporters. I will now be taking a break before deciding which future direction to take.”
Flintoff, however, will be remembered as a winner.
His last Test was against Australia at the Oval in 2009 and his unerring throw to run out Ricky Ponting on the fourth afternoon was decisive in England’s 197 run victory and a 2-1 series win. Flintoff was a shell of the man he was in 2005 but he remained a good luck charm for England till the very end.
England has been without Flintoff for two years and the team has certainly moved on. I cannot escape the perception that this England team without Flintoff is a team that is more respected than loved by its followers.
And dare I say, by its opponents.
sledgeross
Guest
I know what you mean Vinay. I know alot of punters who feel the ilk of Langer, Hayden, Gilchrist and Clarke just seem to tell us what we want to hear. Obviously need more Bankstown players back in the Test team!
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
sledgeross, I would be prepared to cut players some slack if they were prepared to be themselves. I see a lot of players with dollar signs in their eyes. The player agents have a lot to do with this. I see Flintoff got rid of his last player agent. Not sure if he has one now.The players have got to connect with the fans.
sledgeross
Guest
I was living in leeds in 03 when Freddy played some brilliant knocks against the Saffies. I walking through Headingley on the way to the Leeds test match where the usually insular Yorkshire crowd already chanting "Super fred" despite Flintoff coming from the red Rose county. As Bob Simpson alluded to, Freddy was so talented that he didnt have to work as hard as say a Collingwood, but geez he could play. It was his battle with pies and beer coupled with his larrakin charm (and pedalos!) as much as his talent that endeared him to punters.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Interesting, Ian Noble, you writing about Flintoff''s impact on cricket similar to that of Compton's and Miller's. After the 2005 Ashes victory Flintoff won the Compton-Miller Award.
DERBY COUNTY FC
Guest
Ian Personally i don't think cricket is anywhere as popular in England as it is in Australia. Of course there are fanatics in England, but when i was growing up i couldn't care less who won the Ashes (if i even knew they were taking place) and i don't remember any of my mates talking cricket at school. Nobody was bothered to play cricket particularly (i'm sure it's different in Yorkshire, Lancashire etc) but in my opinion there is only one sport that holds the publics interest and that of course, is football. Freddie helped change that, he was a very good Englishman that was very good at cricket and for a summer England test shirts out-sold England football shirts.
Ian Noble
Guest
Many in the UK would say that the MBE's for the Ashes win was way over the top and it was Tony Blair trying to boost his ratings. As for Flintoff, there are very few cricketers who would empty the bars when he was either batting or bowling. I was trying to think or players in other eras who probably have made a similar impact and immediately thought of Compton and Miller. His overall performances may have been indifferent but his presence and charisma outweighed his other failings.
Lolly
Guest
When I referred to the hype about him, I mean the press and the commentators, not ordinary people. That was one of the really sad things about the 2009 Ashes. I live in London and unlike 2005, hardly ANYONE I know (I don't hang around with Aussies) seemd to know it was even on. As it wasn't on terrestrial TV. I don't want gloating poms all around me, but rather that, than feeling just how much a minority sport cricket is in the captial. Now that was really depressing and I should be used to it, living in the land of footie first and everything else can go stuff itself.
punter
Guest
Why I always thought the best thing Australia did was keep Gilchrist at No 7 in the batting line-up. They kept him as a Wicket-keeper Batsmen, not a Batting Wicketkeeper & he was the best ever.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Brian,you are spot on. There was a time when an Australian victory was,dare I say,almost boring. Flintoff,regardless of his now many critics(where were they in 2005) gave the Ashes a kiss of life.
Brett McKay
Expert
no, quite right, VC, and that's not what I meant either. What I mean is that in Flintoff, we see a bit of that competitive 'mongrel' that we see in our own sportsmen, and thus it is hard not to admire it when we see it in the opposition. Of course it's not unique to 'us', but when we see a bit of 'us' in an opponent, respect is instantly earned...
Brian
Guest
Most imprssive was thhis spirit. It should be remembered that in the period 2000-2005 some were wondering if England would ever regain the Ashes. He more than any other re-ignited cricket's greatest rivalry
Whiteline
Guest
Yes, good points Vinay. I look forward to the next piece, as always.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Whiteline,you pick my brains like no other.I am still a Ponting admirer. I have always maintained his captaincy should not be compared to Border,Waugh and Taylor. Those were different times and those captains had some once in a generation players. A big difference is the scrutiny nowadays. There is no privacy. Consequently players cannot be themselves(security,banning of mobiles,prurient journalists) and are wary who they talk with. Society also has a hypocritical attitude when judging elite sportsmen. It is ok for the general populace and politicians to snort coke but cricketers are deemed role models. Ponting survived the Bourbon and Beefsteak because society was not so judgmental then. Symonds did not survive a bender. Clarke barely survived Bingle. Plus the fact Ponting has new bowlers not yet the finished article. This has also affected his batting. But I must stop because you are preempting my next piece.
Whiteline
Guest
Vinay Interesting that you say Flintoff 'would not have been out of place in an Australian team under the likes of Border or Waugh'. What are you implying about these two as captains and not Ponting? Being the great Ponting fan you are, I'd be interested to read your comments.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Viscount,another point I should have mentioned. Many scribes fawn at the feet of the current players lest they be denied access. It is far less punitive to castigate fading or faded stars.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
GMcG, and this is precisely why England should not bat Broad any higher than 9,or for that matter,why Ponting should not be tempted to bat Johnson any higher.
GibbonsMcGibbons
Guest
Further Vinay, although not an England fan perse but a cricket fan in general - I always wished they batted Flintoff at 7 or 8 to allow him to focus on his bowling which was undoubtably his stronger suite. But I take your point on leadership and I think it's no suprise that he was at his peak when Vaughan was captain.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Viscount, The more I read what the English commentators are saying about Flintoff the less credence I gave it. Andrew Miller writing in Cricinfo seems overly miffed. This ,the same Flintoff, who could urinate on Tony Blair's pansies( or were they geraniums?) and be given an MBE. Flintoff has kept many a journalist suitably employed and the least they could now do would be to acknowledge him politely. In the end the game is richer for having had Flintoff...and a player can do no more.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I’m with Vinay on Flintoff the cricketer – good but not great. As for Flintoff the man – well, it is a bit odd that so many journalists and ex-colleagues are rather cynical about him. Brett mentioned his similarity to Collingwood and Gough above, but it's worth noting that whereas Duncan Fletcher reveres Collingwood, he is extremely sniffy about Flintoff. Now, I know Duncan Fletcher isn't exactly Mr Congeniality but, personally, I've always found him to be rather a good judge. Mike Atherton, too, has observed that the "Fred the Lad" image is all rather contrived. And yet... it still seems churlish to quibble. Vinay is quite right that jealousy could be at play. And it's not really for fans to worry about how great a bloke a cricketer is off the field. I think fans judge sportsmen by their ability to produce "great moments" - and on that measure, Flintoff scores wonderfully.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I take your point, Brett, but I'm not sure there's anything uniquely "Australian" about playing hard and going for a beer at the end of the match. I know you chaps are quite isolated down there, but come on...