Andrew Flintoff retires

Uncle Leo · Sep 16, 2010

In the next hour or so, Andrew Flintoff is expected to announce that he will be retiring from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. I kind of thought he had.

Anyway, thanks for the 2005 and 2009 Ashes Freddie.....

EastStandBlue · Sep 16, 2010

One of my lecturers at University, who was a cricket writer for various broadsheets, was of the opinion that this has been on the cards for sometime...

Best of luck Freddie.

canveyshrimper · Sep 16, 2010

I guess there's an air of inevitability about this given that his come back date has gone back & back.

He was the scourge of the convicts in the last two Ashes home series, and I won't forget the sight of him bowling himself into the ground at Lords last season.

All best fortune in the future Fred and thanks for the memories.

Matt the Shrimp · Sep 16, 2010

Inevitable, but sad nonetheless. Freddie - you will be missed. Thanks, in particular, for 2005.

:clap:

number11 · Sep 16, 2010

Only 32! Seems like he has been battling injuries for years so he has achieved plenty. Seems like a sensible thing to do as trying to get through another gruelling rehabilition must be hard to find motivation for.

The stats are not overly flattering, but for impact, and in particular between 2003 and 2005 he was as good as anyone of his generation.

* ORM * · Sep 16, 2010

Agreed, but any shortcomings in stats were more than made up for in Ashes heroics alone

MrB · Sep 17, 2010

He was a big lump and he really did come in to the crease hard when he was at full bowling tilt. When you see the slow mo of his bowling action you can see the way his knee jars every delivery, the stress of that just took it's toll in the end.

There's still a big Freddie shaped hole in the England line up. I'm very worried about us going out there with a 4 man bowling line up. Despite the ton against Pakistan, Broad hasn't really made the step up to fill the Number 7 slot and allow us to go with a 5 man attack again which I think a lot of people thought he would have done by now.

Uncle Leo · Sep 17, 2010

I heard this morning that he was hoping for a career in tv now. I'm sure he'll not be short of offers but bejaysus he's terrible. More wooden than a mahogany dresser.

EastStandBlue · Sep 17, 2010

Uncle Leo said:
I heard this morning that he was hoping for a career in tv now. I'm sure he'll not be short of offers but bejaysus he's terrible. More wooden than a mahogany dresser.

That tosser Corden's been in his ear, hasn't he?

Yorkshire Blue · Sep 17, 2010

Uncle Leo said:
I heard this morning that he was hoping for a career in tv now. I'm sure he'll not be short of offers but bejaysus he's terrible. More wooden than a mahogany dresser.

A seat on the Sky commentary team can't be far away then.

It's a shame he can't sort the knee out sufficiently to return as a batsman. He'd have helped Lancs' feeble batting no end, and maybe have stopped them trying to gift Notts the title (twice!) and even if the body could no longer take the pounding of bowling, I think he would have still had something to offer in the international arena as a limited overs batsman.

Will be interesting to see how much he now balloons in size.

BrettieAngell · Sep 17, 2010

Shame he had to pack it all in but you can only come back from injury so many times. All the best Freddie!!

BoyWonder2 · Sep 21, 2010

Such a shame, but has been on the cards for a long time in my eyes.

Thanks for the memories Freddie, especially 2005 and 2009 Ashes. A legend in those series. Will never forgetting the scenes of England going bananas after beating Australia by 2 runs I think it was, and Freddie going over to Brett Lee to shake his hand. Epic.

Uncle Leo · Sep 22, 2010

BoyWonder2 said:
Will never forgetting the scenes of England going bananas after beating Australia by 2 runs I think it was, and Freddie going over to Brett Lee to shake his hand. Epic.

When, apparently, he said: "It's 1-1 now you Aussie *******"

Yorkshire Blue · Sep 22, 2010

Uncle Leo said:
When, apparently, he said: "It's 1-1 now you Aussie *******"

I hadn't heard that before:D

I do hope that is true.

BoyWonder2 · Sep 22, 2010

Yorkshire Blue said:
I hadn't heard that before:D

I do hope that is true.

Same here, would love that to be true.

Uncle Leo · Sep 22, 2010

Yorkshire Blue said:
I hadn't heard that before:D

I do hope that is true.

BoyWonder2 said:
Same here, would love that to be true.

I hadn't heard it until the other night, when MtS told me. I certainly hope it's true and if it's not, it's a good story anyway!

Dick Bate's Protege · Sep 22, 2010

Uncle Leo said:
I hadn't heard it until the other night, when MtS told me. I certainly hope it's true and if it's not, it's a good story anyway!

I think the footage of him telling that tale is on youtube, it was during an after dinner speech, but he did say afterwards that he didn't really say it. It made funny viewing though. If you haven't seen it, look up his sledging of Tino Best during the 2004 tour, it's also on youtube.