Freddie exit won’t hurt Ashes bid
ANDREW FLINTOFF’S announcement came as a surprise to no-one. It had become increasingly clear that his physique was not up to the rigours of Test cricket. Retiring from that is the best decision for him – the lesser workload will help his knee, and in any case his game is better suited to one-dayers and Twenty20.
The timing may have raised eyebrows, but I can’t see it having any negative effect on the team.
England’s squad is a close, well-drilled unit so they won’t let it disrupt them. A fit Flintoff is a fearsome weapon but England can win without him: recent results when he has been absent are better than when he has played. Flintoff is good but his record is not that of a great player like Shane Warne.
You can bet your bottom dollar, however, that if he is fit to play in the rest of the Ashes, Flintoff will give absolutely everything to go out on a high. And it might only need a burst of magic – a 10-over spell in which he takes four wickets – to turn the series on its head.