One of the things I miss the least about playing Test cricket is facing Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. He is one of cricket's bowling superstars.
Langer: Facing Freddie
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One of the things I miss the least about playing Test cricket is facing Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. Along with Wasim Akram, Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Muttiah Muralidaran they are in a league of their own in terms of bowling superstars.
Yesterday's display was a master class in fast bowling and it is no wonder Flintoff is right up there with the very best of them. With a cricket ball in his hand he is quite simply horrible to face.
He has it all.
He is fast, which in this day and age is a dying commodity. He has steep bounce due to his height and action. He has a warrior spirit which keeps you up at night knowing you have to fight with courage and strength of mind every time he is bowling. He can swing the ball both ways, and he has incredible endurance, which means you have to apply yourself to the contest for long periods of time, day in day out.
Ironically, the reason he has announced his retirement is that his body is giving in, but if his body had the same fortitude as his mind and spirit, then he would have been an impenetrable force in international cricket over the last few years. Had his body held up, I have no doubt England would have won a lot more Test matches in that time.
In many ways Flintoff to England is what Shane Warne was to Australia. On the field they are like gladiators who lead their team through sheer talent and will, and yet off the field they have been prone to cause headaches to the administrators and managers. These are rare cases where the bosses have overlooked the off-field misdemeanours because of their irreplaceable ability when they walk on to the cricket ground.
In this day of professionalism not many get away with what these geniuses do but then not many can produce the match-winning brilliance than these two can either. This balancing act is always a talking point but the game would be worse off if the likes of Warne and Flintoff were not able to play the game because they like a beer, a bet or a late night.
When facing Flintoff it wasn’t just the contest between bat and ball which took away your energy. Unlike most fast bowlers who rant and rave, spit and swear, Flintoff, like Curtley Ambrose, is more like a smiling assassin. Whatever the situation, he goes about his business with a little smile on his face, loving the contest, not because he thinks he is good but rather because he knows he is good; there is a big difference in this state of mind.
If you play and miss he smiles. If he hits you on the body he smiles. If you fluke a boundary he smiles and of course if he gets you out he raises his arms, looks to the heavens and smiles an even broader grin, as if to say it was just a matter of time. This attitude of unflappable confidence is reserved for the best and while they might be breathing fire on the inside their demeanour suggests they could be playing with their mates in the park rather than on the biggest stages of Test cricket.
When the great bowlers come on to bowl everyone sits on the edge of their seats. If you are in an opposition seat you watch and implore your batsmen to get through the spell without too much damage. If you are on their side then you are still on the edge of your seat hoping for a match winning spell.
Before this Test, many, including me, felt Flintoff’s retirement could act as sideshow distraction rather than a spur for his team, but if the last five days are anything to go by then the sideshow could provide the tonic required for England to win back the Ashes.
Australia have the job ahead of them and while there is still plenty of cricket left in this series they are going to have to steel themselves against the tide of momentum which is sure to build up over the next few weeks. Not only will they have to contend with an England team growing in confidence but they will also have to switch off from the media spotlight and swell of public expectation now that England lead the series. It is going to take great strength of character to eliminate these distractions and concentrate on the winning processes required to win test matches.
During the last series here in England, where the squad was made up of some of the all time great players, that momentum was like swimming against a tidal wave, so it is going to take exceptional leadership from Australia’s senior players and management to ensure this relatively inexperienced squad is able to remain relaxed and focussed for the next three Test matches.
The task is a big one, but like Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin on day four, the opportunity to become a hero could be the motivating factor to wear down Flintoff and steal back the initiative on the first day at Edgbaston.
Click here for cricket.com.au's Diaries & Blogs Page.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cricket Australia.
Please note that comments that are derogatory, defamatory, or discriminatory will not be published. The decision to publish is solely at the discretion of CA
For behind the scenes videos from the tour click here.
Read more from Justin here.
One of the things I miss the least about playing Test cricket is facing Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. Along with Wasim Akram, Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Muttiah Muralidaran they are in a league of their own in terms of bowling superstars.
Yesterday's display was a master class in fast bowling and it is no wonder Flintoff is right up there with the very best of them. With a cricket ball in his hand he is quite simply horrible to face.
He has it all.
He is fast, which in this day and age is a dying commodity. He has steep bounce due to his height and action. He has a warrior spirit which keeps you up at night knowing you have to fight with courage and strength of mind every time he is bowling. He can swing the ball both ways, and he has incredible endurance, which means you have to apply yourself to the contest for long periods of time, day in day out.
Ironically, the reason he has announced his retirement is that his body is giving in, but if his body had the same fortitude as his mind and spirit, then he would have been an impenetrable force in international cricket over the last few years. Had his body held up, I have no doubt England would have won a lot more Test matches in that time.
In many ways Flintoff to England is what Shane Warne was to Australia. On the field they are like gladiators who lead their team through sheer talent and will, and yet off the field they have been prone to cause headaches to the administrators and managers. These are rare cases where the bosses have overlooked the off-field misdemeanours because of their irreplaceable ability when they walk on to the cricket ground.
In this day of professionalism not many get away with what these geniuses do but then not many can produce the match-winning brilliance than these two can either. This balancing act is always a talking point but the game would be worse off if the likes of Warne and Flintoff were not able to play the game because they like a beer, a bet or a late night.
When facing Flintoff it wasn’t just the contest between bat and ball which took away your energy. Unlike most fast bowlers who rant and rave, spit and swear, Flintoff, like Curtley Ambrose, is more like a smiling assassin. Whatever the situation, he goes about his business with a little smile on his face, loving the contest, not because he thinks he is good but rather because he knows he is good; there is a big difference in this state of mind.
If you play and miss he smiles. If he hits you on the body he smiles. If you fluke a boundary he smiles and of course if he gets you out he raises his arms, looks to the heavens and smiles an even broader grin, as if to say it was just a matter of time. This attitude of unflappable confidence is reserved for the best and while they might be breathing fire on the inside their demeanour suggests they could be playing with their mates in the park rather than on the biggest stages of Test cricket.
When the great bowlers come on to bowl everyone sits on the edge of their seats. If you are in an opposition seat you watch and implore your batsmen to get through the spell without too much damage. If you are on their side then you are still on the edge of your seat hoping for a match winning spell.
Before this Test, many, including me, felt Flintoff’s retirement could act as sideshow distraction rather than a spur for his team, but if the last five days are anything to go by then the sideshow could provide the tonic required for England to win back the Ashes.
Australia have the job ahead of them and while there is still plenty of cricket left in this series they are going to have to steel themselves against the tide of momentum which is sure to build up over the next few weeks. Not only will they have to contend with an England team growing in confidence but they will also have to switch off from the media spotlight and swell of public expectation now that England lead the series. It is going to take great strength of character to eliminate these distractions and concentrate on the winning processes required to win test matches.
During the last series here in England, where the squad was made up of some of the all time great players, that momentum was like swimming against a tidal wave, so it is going to take exceptional leadership from Australia’s senior players and management to ensure this relatively inexperienced squad is able to remain relaxed and focussed for the next three Test matches.
The task is a big one, but like Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin on day four, the opportunity to become a hero could be the motivating factor to wear down Flintoff and steal back the initiative on the first day at Edgbaston.
Click here for cricket.com.au's Diaries & Blogs Page.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cricket Australia.
Please note that comments that are derogatory, defamatory, or discriminatory will not be published. The decision to publish is solely at the discretion of CA