Heat expect Flintoff to bowl fast, hit sixes, and win games

The Brisbane Heat have told Andrew Flintoff he won’t be cruising on a well-paid Australian holiday in this summer’s Big Bash.

The Heat on Thursday confirmed the former English all-rounder will be their star recruit for BBL4, finally completing a short-term deal that’s been five years in the making.

Comeback kid Flintoff will arrive in December and play the last half of the tournament for Brisbane while also working for broadcaster Network 10.

But Heat coach Stuart Law, a former English county teammate at Lancashire, stressed Flintoff was expected to deliver the fireworks which he was renowned for in 79 Tests and 141 ODIs.

“I’ve told Fred we signed him to win games of cricket, so that means we want him bowling 140kmh, hitting sixes and using his experience around the group to get the job done,” Law said.

“He’s an enormous competitor and so I know he is coming out for the right reasons.

“The Brisbane fans will quickly discover he’s a champion fella and I’m sure they will love having him with the team … He’s a wonderful person and we’re looking forward to having Fred and his family with us at the Heat over the summer.”

Flintoff showed in his return to top-class T20 cricket this year for Lancashire that he’s still got it at 36-years-old.

In three games, he took six wickets at 13.66 and almost helped the Lightning pull off a backs-to-the-wall escape act in their domestic final against Warwickshire, by belting 20 off eight balls in the dying overs, only to go down by four runs.

“I’m excited to be coming back to Australia and especially to Brisbane which has always been a favourite spot of mine to play,” Flintoff said in a statement.

“Stuart and I have had a few conversations and I’m clear on what we’re looking to achieve in the competition.”

Flintoff originally agreed to terms with Queensland Cricket in 2010 to play for the Bulls in the original interstate T20 competition before injury intervened.

“I’ve seen from afar how the BBL has evolved so quickly to become a world class competition and it’s a challenge that I am certainly up for,” Flintoff said.

The 2005 Ashes player of the series joins fellow former England captain Kevin Pietersen (Melbourne Stars) as the two biggest marquee players to line up in this season’s BBL.

Kiwi left-armer Daniel Vettori and West Indian leg-spinner Samuel Badree are also on the Heat’s books as foreign players.