Australian captain Ricky Ponting says the Andrew Flintoff farewell tour could prove to be a distraction for England for the rest of the Ashes series.
The allrounder dropped a bombshell on the eve of the second clash at Lord’s by announcing his retirement from Test cricket at the end of the series.
That decision is set to ignite a wave of goodwill across the country for the enormously popular Flintoff but it also comes with its drawbacks according to Ponting.
The skipper was in the side that had to deal with all the hype surrounding Steve Waugh’s farewell home Test series in 2003-04.
Australia struggled to assert their superiority in that series and ended up drawing 1-1 with a resilient Indian side.
“If he ends up playing the remainder of the series I’m sure there’ll be some outside distractions for the England team to deal with no matter if Andrew wanted it that way or not,” Ponting said.
“I’ve been in teams where it’s happened in Australia as well and it can be distracting, not just for the person involved but for the captain as well.
“They could have those issues to deal with but that’s for them and we’ll see what happens.”
The defiant Lancastrian declared himself ready to inspire his teammates by playing through the pain barrier for four more Tests in an attempt to thwart Australia one last time.
“I will put my body through anything to get through the next four matches,” he said.
Flintoff has already had injections on his troublesome right knee and is still in some doubt for the match at the home of cricket.
He said his creaking body could no longer cope with the demands of the longest form of the game and had discussed his retirement plans in recent times with the likes of Shane Warne and Ian Botham.
England’s lead act in their 2005 Ashes triumph will continue to play one-day internationals and international Twenty20 fixtures.
But first of all he said he wanted to regain the Ashes.
“It would be nice to finish on a high and that would be a perfect way to end a career,” he said of a series win.
After making his Test debut for England against South Africa in 1998, the 31-year-old has enjoyed a colourful career for his country.
The high point was his brilliant showing during the 2005 Ashes campaign as his performances with both bat and ball inspired the home side to its memorable victory.
There were the lows in leading England to a 5-0 defeat in Australia in the return series in 2006-07 and his drunken escapades during the 2007 World Cup.
His crumbling body has stalled his progress since 2005.
“I would have liked to have kicked on (after 2005). I don’t have any regrets that it did not carry on a bit longer,” he said.
“I am happy.”
England captain Andrew Strauss thought having made the decision that Flintoff would be in a much better state of mind for the rest of the series.
“In a way I think he will be relieved that it is out there and he can now just get on with it,” Strauss said.
Flintoff has had a catalogue of complaints, including hip, foot, knee and ankle problems.
He has scored 3708 runs at 31.69 and taken 219 wickets at 32.51 in his 76-Test career.
Strauss said Flintoff deserved to go out in style.
“He has had a dramatic impact on England cricket in the last few years, there is no doubt about that with the way he has batted,” Strauss said.
“The style with which he has batted.
“For a long period he has been the opposition bowler in world cricket they would least like facing and maybe pure figures don’t show that.
“And also the personality, he has done a huge amount of good for the game by the way he has played with a smile on his face.”
ANDREW FLINTOFF
Born: December 6, 1977
Age: 31Batting
Matches: 76
Runs: 3708
Average: 31.69
100s: 5
Highest score: 167Bowling
Wickets: 219
Avge: 32.51
5wkts in innings: 2
Best bowling in innings: 5-58
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