14 November 2023 , 21:13
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Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff is set to be announced as the new head coach of cricket team Northern Superchargers, one of the eight franchises in The Hundred.
Flintoff is one of England's greatest ever cricketers and did some part-time coaching with the country's white-ball side ahead of their Cricket World Cup campaign in India. The 45-year-old is now set to park his TV career to make a full-time return to the sport.
Flintoff started working in the media after retiring from international cricket in 2009 before becoming the new host of Top Gear a decade later. Yet he was forced to leave the popular BBC show after suffering a serious crash during filming last December.
The former Lancashire allrounder was left with facial injuries and broken ribs. He wasn't seen in public for nine months, such was the severity of the crash, before joining England's coaching staff for September's ODIs against New Zealand and Ireland. Flintoff recently described the past 11 months as the "hardest times" of his life.
Flintoff is close friends with Rob Key, who is the managing director of England's men's team. Flintoff's role with the national side is believed to be temporary and unpaid, but his new position with Leeds-based team Northern Superchargers will be a full-time gig.
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As first reported by The Telegraph, Flintoff is expected to succeed James Foster as the coach of the Superchargers' men's team. The franchise, which is owned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), announced Foster's departure last Friday.
Flintoff is still thought to be locked in negotiations for the role, but a deal could be announced as early as this week. He is expected to be assisted by close friend Kyle Hogg, who worked with Flintoff on a BBC documentary about cricket called 'Field of Dreams'.
Flintoff was left scarred by his high-speed crash (Visionhaus/Getty Images)Are you excited to see Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff back in cricket? Let us know in the comments below!
The Superchargers are one of eight teams competing in The Hundred, a franchise tournament launched in 2021. The Hundred has divided opinion among cricket fans due to it marginalising the traditional county game. This year's tournament took place in August.
This is set to be Flintoff's first head coach position in professional cricket. He's recently been working with an England Lions team - a reserve side - in Abu Dhabi and is expected to join back up with the first team for their tour of the Caribbean in December.
Flintoff's appointment will be controversial due to his Lancashire links. The Superchargers play at Headingley, the home of Lancashire's bitter rivals Yorkshire.
"Coaching is definitely an ambition," Flintoff told the BBC in 2019. "There are probably two or three coaching jobs I'd like - England, Lancashire or Lancashire Academy. I'd love to be England coach one day, just not quite yet."