Andrew Flintoff as a crowd puller back in his days - Opinion
If one is to analyze Andrew Flintoff’s stats, then there is not much to write home about for this fine all rounder from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lancashire-c806. He averaged a decent 31 in Test cricket and 33 with the ball in the same format. He does not have a double century to his
name and neither does he have more than three, five wicket hauls. Yet what Flintoff possessed as a cricketer is unparalleled by even some of the finest players in the world today. No man has managed to generate enthusiasm, uproars and approbation from a cricket
thirsty crowd as Andrew Flintoff did in his prime.
Since the legendary http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Peter-Hewitt-c66001. England’s resurgence in Test match cricket from 2003 onwards gave their fans a complete package that was reminiscent if not challenged Botham’s
legacy back in his days.
The 2005 Ashes series comes to mind as being the peak of Flintoff’s career and turned out to be a watershed event in Australian cricket. His contributions in that series and beyond helped England solidify itself as a top Test team that could beat some of
the very best. A few key players were crucial in giving England that impetus to outperform on their day and with the urn back with England for the first time since 1987, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-Flintoff-c44360 was undoubtedly their key man.
His powerful and laborious delivery stride combined with an awkward angle through which he deploys his delivery was a site for the gods. His brute force with the bat made him one of the most dangerous batsmen of his time, where he managed to annihilate a
bowling attack which consisted of the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 in all formats of the game, but it was not until his 2005 stint that the
world took notice of his status of being one of the all time greats.
The Flintoff/Harmison combo was one of the most lethal bowling duos, in that period. Flintoff’s awkward angle from around the wicket was divine as he managed to trouble some of the most brutal strikers of the cricket ball such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918 in 2005.
Gilchrist could not cross fifty in that series and failed to make any significant contribution for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. For Flintoff, that series was all about coming up with a thunderous run up to the crease and deploying the delivery with such impunity that most batsmen
were left bamboozled. His achievements were monumental and despite Kevin Pietersen’s 158 overshadowing the efforts of many of his contemporaries, Flintoff was undoubtedly the man of the Ashes.
His reign of terror only started after the 2005 series. It seemed as if England’s winning streak heavily relied on the fact that Flintoff was in the final eleven. England was a different outfit when Flintoff was rested and without his all round prowess,
the opposition always felt that they had a chance. His numerous match winning innings for his side along with his useful contributions with the ball made him a crowd’s man, where the nick name of ‘Freddie’ became a part of cricket’s dictionary. In 2008 his
over to South African http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JH-Kallis-c1692 was one of the best overs bowled at Edgbaston, where a decision that was turned down eventually prompted Freddie to deploy a superb Yorker, which lead to a roar from the crowd.
Such was Flintoff’s impact that he managed to give meaning and purpose to the gentleman’s game. The crowd was always behind him and acknowledged that statistics in a game such as cricket, are immaterial.
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