Flintoff "overwhelmed" by England cricket return amid talk of long-term role
Freddie Flintoff was left "overwhelmed by the outpouring of love" he received after returning to cricket to work with the England team ahead of the World Cup.
Flintoff joined England's white-ball sides as a consultant last month, with his appearance at the first ODI against New Zealand in Cardiff the first time he had been seen in public since suffering serious injuries while filming Top Gear in December. The 45-year-old was airlifted to hospital after he was involved in a 130mph crash at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.
Flintoff sustained facial injuries and broken ribs and spent the next nine months away from the public eye as he began his recovery. And with England's white-ball coach Matthew Mott revealing the legendary all-rounder will "definitely" be involved with the team again, Flintoff's close friend Steve Harmison has opened up about his return and the potential of him taking up a more permanent coaching role with England.
"It's great to see him back," Harmison said, speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport on behalf of OnlineCricketBetting. "He loved every minute of it. He was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love with everybody seeing him for the first time since that horrific accident.
"Andrew Flintoff has been a cricket man since he was 10-years-old. He's been brought up in it, his dad Colin and all his family were cricket, cricket, cricket. He was destined to play for England from the age of 12.
Ballance set to make Test return for Zimbabwe after Yorkshire racism scandal
"He's always had cricket in his life, but unfortunately when he left somebody was going to pay him a lot more money to do things that he was even better at which was to entertain. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time away to come back to the thing you love the most and he enjoyed being with the England team.
"Fingers crossed England can somehow keep him involved. To get him back full time would be an ask because of all the other commitments he's got, but the one thing he will do in that dressing room is he will entertain and educate people in a great manner.
Flintoff's close friend Steve Harmison has opened up about his return to the public eye (Tom Shaw/Getty Images)"His knowledge of the game is ridiculous and to see him sit next to Ben Stokes… two great all-rounders of the modern generation. It would have been nice to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. I'm not sure cricket would have been too high up on the agenda!
"A lot of these England cricketers have looked up to Andrew Flintoff and they've (now) got a chance to meet him, sit with him and talk to him. I've always said sometimes don't meet your heroes because they can let you down, but I've also been around my mine and my heroes have always made me better.
"And I think quite a few of the England players have met their hero over the last four or five weeks and thought about him in a whole different way, in such a positive way and they've enjoyed being in his company which is brilliant to see."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
