Flintoff needs to put his body first
Andrew Flintoff may have rejected his England contract since it would not allow him to take part in a reality television show where he would have to bungee jump but he cannot be criticised for his decision when the ECB repeatedly put England first
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
Andrew Flintoff may have rejected his England contract since it would not allow him to take part in a reality television show where he would have to bungee jump but he cannot be criticised for his decision when the ECB repeatedly put England first and his body second, writes Simon Wilde in the Times.
As long ago as 2002, he was made to bowl countless Test match overs despite the onset of a double hernia. The upshot was that he was not fit for the Ashes tour that followed. Four years later in India, he was press-ganged into service as an emergency captain and told that his reward would be that he in all probability miss the birth of his second child. He responded to the crisis magnificently, leading England to an unexpected 1-1 draw before racing home to belatedly meet his new daughter. The following winter, Flintoff was again back as stand-in leader, even though he was not long recovered from major ankle surgery. He hobbled, plainly and painfully, through a disastrous Ashes tour and did not play Test cricket again for almost 18 months.
Nishi Narayanan is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo