Cricket News: English cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff calls it a day
Prolific English player, Andrew Flintoff, called it a day from all forms of international cricket after hearing from his medical assistant that he might need another surgery on his right knee before going to the ground and representing
his side.
Flintoff, who hoped to return back to action after undergoing recent knee surgery, had his plans shifted about from joining the team for the Ashes and other formats of the game after consulting with his surgeon and English Cricket
Board. The 32 year old all rounder from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lancashire-c806 displayed utter disappointment while addressing to the local media, stating that he had no other option other than departing from international cricket.
Flintoff got emotional when he was told that the England supporters did not want him to quit from international cricket and that they demand he rest before coming back to cricket. However, Flintoff instead said that he was utterly
thankful for the respect and the love that he has received over the years from English fans as they have stood behind him as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Wall-c41352 even during his worst moments. He was of the view that he needs to spend some time back home with his wife and two kids before
deciding on what future direction to pursue.
‘Freddy’ was a man of his words and delivered what he was asked by the team management every time. His peak period was undoubtedly the time between January 2004 and June 2006, when he used to be the best player around for England.
He then excelled with both bat and ball, predominantly in test cricket, with a batting average of well over 40 runs per innings and with a bulk of centuries coming for him during that era. He was far more impressive with the ball however, grabbing quick wickets
for England at regular intervals.
Flintoff’s preferred opponents seemed to be England’s arch rivals http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, against whom he managed to get as many as fifty test wickets with a fighting average of 33 runs per wicket in the 15 test matches he played. But in every
single game that he played, Flintoff appeared fresh, professionally fit and up to the challenge, with Mathew Hayden becoming his victim more often than any other test batsman.
The tall Englishman who stood at 6’4 finishes his test career with a total of 3845 runs, averaging just around 32 in the 72 tests that he played. He also has 226 wickets with an average of 32.78, holding five wicket hauls in an
innings thrice. Flintoff however, has been less impressive in the limited over game, finishing with 3394 runs and taking 169 wickets in his 11 years career.
England’s current skipper Andrew Strauss praised Flintoff’s service to England and cricket, ranking him among the all time best the game has ever produced. Strauss gave him a warm tribute, paying homage to him while remembering
his magic with the ball when his direct throw from long-on got rid of Australian skipper Rickey Ponting, turning the tables in England’s favour in their final Test match in the 2009 Ashes Series.
Players of Andrew Flintoff‘s class are not born every day and it takes years of practice and enthusiasm to get anywhere near his level. Fans from all over the globe would surely miss a gem of player like Freddy but his departure
opens gates for many young English players to join the team and live up to Flintoff’s legacy.
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