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Featured Sport News

Who needs Freddie?

Author: Brandon Barker
Date: 10/05/2009

England started the new season with a dominant ten-wicket win over the West Indies, sparking cricket betting experts to ask do they really need Andrew Flintoff to be a success?

The all-rounder has often been seen as the talisman for most of England's recent successes, but too many times Flintoff has been absent due to a catalogue of injuries.

He is currently sidelined by a knee injury sustained while on IPL duty perhaps not the perfect way to prepare for a busy summer ahead.

Flintoff is expected to back for the Ashes series later this year and no-one will ever forget his heroics in the 2005 series, the only time England have beaten the Aussies in more than two decades.

Undoubtedly Freddie was the heartbeat of the side on that occasion, being the go-to man for skipper Michael Vaughan.

However, he was just one of a number of key performers, with the absences of Simon Jones and Marcus Trescothick proving almost more significant since the heady days of four years ago.

Too often England have wasted time and energy trying to balance their side in Fred's absence, searching for the elusive all-rounder who can alter the game with bat and ball.

In reality they should just pick an extra batsman or an extra bowler, because the career stats show that Fred's 2005 efforts were the exception and not the norm.

Overall he has made only five Test centuries in 75 games and averages little over 30, having been given so many chances earlier on in his career when other players were cast aside.

His bowling seems a little better, Flintoff having taken 218 wickers to date, but a meagre two five-wicket hauls suggest that he rarely runs through an entire side.

In truth, he is half a bowler, especially given the precarious nature of his fitness, meaning that England often compromise selection and leave themselves open to batting Flintoff at six - at least one place too high.

True, he is a superb slip catcher and seems to inspire his team-mates, but the time might be right to say thanks for your efforts Fred, but this is goodbye.

You'll be thinking that that is a tad harsh, but the Aussies rarely put up with a such a player and will show no mercy if a half-fit Freddie turns up this summer - just remember the 5-0 whitewash of 2007!

Beating Australia in 2005 was based on a four-man pace attack and Flintoff is unable to be able to bear the burden of being one of those four and cannot be picked as a fifth bowler who will have to bat at six.

Australia may be weaker than they were, but any side led by Ricky Ponting will be single-minded in their pursuit of glory.

Just imagine, some of their stars even opted to sit out the IPL just to be in tip-top condition for the Ashes. Now there's an idea!

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