Freddie to retire after the Ashes

[pup11]

Gutted but not suprised. Favourite English player and one of the true characters and rare talents in the game.

This

I think people need to respect Freddie's decision here, he has always given his all for his country, and probably his body can no longer handle the workload of bowling in test matches forcing him to take a decision like this, though the decision is a sad one, but its the right one at the same time.

 

[Scaly piscine]

He's not a good enough batsmen to be used as an occasional bowler though, if he's in the team he has to pull his weight.

A couple of explosive spells a day make him worth it though.

If he bowls 10-12 overs where he's touching 90mph he'll end up with 11-4-25-1 type figures more often than not. On a good day he'll pick up another wicket or two. His batting would actually improve because he'd be injured less often - which means he'd be in better form and be able to practice more.

England would still have 5 bowlers, so it's not a problem. But anyway too late now.

 

[four_or_six]

A couple of explosive spells a day make him worth it though.

If he bowls 10-12 overs where he's touching 90mph he'll end up with 11-4-25-1 type figures more often than not. On a good day he'll pick up another wicket or two. His batting would actually improve because he'd be injured less often - which means he'd be in better form and be able to practice more.

England would still have 5 bowlers, so it's not a problem. But anyway too late now.

Well, maybe, I suppose now that we have Prior. But that hasn't always been the case so I'm not convinced 11 overs is enough.

Let's face it, he only bowled 35 overs in the last match. Yes, it was within two days, but it's not complete overload. That would be 65 overs in a match.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Feel for ya Corrin, mate.

 

[DingDong]

Test cricket cuts into his boozin' time.

 

[James]

Shame, real shame. Like Zac said, he really is a great character and a fantastic player to watch.

Flintoff's situation reminds me of Chris Cairns. All the promise and talent in the world, but injuries would come so regularly to knock them down.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

Was clearly forced into retirement by Phillip Hughes.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Well, maybe, I suppose now that we have Prior. But that hasn't always been the case so I'm not convinced 11 overs is enough.

Let's face it, he only bowled 35 overs in the last match. Yes, it was within two days, but it's not complete overload. That would be 65 overs in a match.

35 overs over two days is nothing for the likes of Anderson and Broad, but it's a lot for Flintoff. And once you get past Flintoff's initial burst then his bowling doesn't have the same menace anyway.

I'd equate Flintoff's situation with someone like Cairns. Sometimes Cairns did bowl quite a lot of overs, other times he didn't. But he wasn't just mindlessly flogged into the ground like Flintoff has been. As has been said many times before Flintoff is blunted by being used like a stock bowler and it is also increasing the likelihood he'll get injured.

 

[Richard]

This should be in Cricket Chat. It's not just an Ashes issue.

Either way, think someone called this months back actually. Can't say I'm too surprised. And TBH, I don't see that there was all that much alternative. Flintoff hasn't been fit to play a full Test series for yonks and it's not likely he ever will be again. He doesn't, in my view, have enough to offer the Test team any more, though that's obviously unfortunate.

Hopefully he can play the 2011 World Cup and focus all his efforts on ODIs in the meantime. Obviously I don't give a damn whether he plays the IPL or not, but clearly he would do.

Flintoff will be well remembered for his Test brilliance 2003/04-2006, but sadly not all that much apart from that. In the end, he was unable to escape the limitations of his batting and was unable to escape the self-imposed limitations of his bowling.

 

[GIMH]

was clearly forced into retirement by phillip hughes.

 

[Shri]

Flintoff's awesomeness post 2005 is a myth.

Although some leeway has to be made for the quality of the opponents he has faced - Flintoff has often been recuperating during low-key series in preparation for the marquee events - the statistics paint a sorry tale. In the 25 matches that Flintoff has missed since 2005, England have won 12, drawn 10 and lost on only three occasions. In the 23 matches in which he has been present, those numbers are almost exactly reversed - won 3, drawn 7, lost 13

I will remember him not as a great player but as an awesome entertainer.

 

[GIMH]

tec made a post yesterday discussing the England without Freddie bollocks and it's a point I've made repeatedly. The games he's played have been predominantly against Australia, South Africa & India, FFS

Anyway. I think it might be best if I just ignore all the statements slamming him in this thread, as there will undoubtedly be more. I'm not saying people shouldn't say that he had a limited period of greatness or that he could have been better, but comments like "Phil Hughes drove him to retirement" are just purely trollish as far as I can tell. Jeez.

It's starting to hit me that I'm only gonna see four more appearances from Freddie in the whites, and it's a bitter pill to swallow. I will post my tributes to the great man down the line, but this is a very sad, if inevitable, day as far as I am concerned. For all the jokes and taunts I get about being such a huger fanboy for him, he really is right up there as one of my all-time heroes. SOme people think it's sad to have idols when you reach your mid-20s, I certainly don't.

Think my avatar expires in a couple of days, no prizes for guessing what it will be replaced with

 

[bagapath]

Andrew Flintoff calls it a day

Flintoff to retire from Test cricket | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Good luck Freddie. You were very good for a while. Thanks for those memories.

 

[andyc]

****, will probably gun it now for the rest of the series.

 

[MattyP]

can't say im surprised. thanks for the memories Fred.

 

[Uppercut]

Great guy. Will go down in history as an English cricketing hero. Can just see myself as an old man ranting at younger folk about how much better he was that his stats suggest.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's a sad day for English cricket but I think it's a typically honest decision from the big fella.

I think, in twenty years' time, he might be a player who folk will underrate because they'll look at his overall career stats and wonder quite what all the fuss was about. However, for a brief three-year spell he was the premier all-rounder (and arguably best test cricketer) in the world, scoring over 2000 runs at over 40 and taking 130 wickets at a tick over 27.5 (link).

Maybe not, in the grand scheme of things, a great player but a player capable of greatness. Thanks for the memories, Fred, it's been emotional.

 

[Matt79]

Massive, albeit unsurprising given his injury woes. Glad he's resisting the Botham path of persisting long past his best.

Might be the inspiration for the English to reclaim the Ashes.

 

[SJS]

I think Atherton hit it on the head when he said “He has been a very good Test match cricketer - not a great one but a very good one who had a great series in 2005.”

He went on to add, "I suspect he’ll feel absolutely fulfilled". I do hope he is right about that last bit.

 

[Matt79]

Don't really get why an announcement was necessary right now, seems a totally unnecessary distraction, leave it until the series is decided.

Shame he'll retire, but a sensible decision.

As I said in the CC thread, it may well inspire them. It's not like the team is working so well at the moment that any disruption to their rhythm is necessarily a bad thing.