Is Flintoff Overrated?

[a massive zebra]

Flintoff is rated quite highly by many people, and is seen as a crucial part of the England team. In reality he rarely scores many runs and hardly ever takes many wickets in Test cricket. He occasionally plays an entertaining innings, but his failures are far more frequent than his successes.

The fact is that he shows little sign of improvement. Even since his coming-of-age tour in 2001-02 he averages a modest 29 with the bat and 43 with the ball. No allrounder has played 50 Tests with such an ordinary output, let alone 100.

 

[Loony BoB]

*appropriate link*

 

[tooextracool]

you just read the cricinfo article didnt you?
well to be honest with you at the moment im still ambigous about his selection. if he fails(doesnt get past 50) in his next 4 innings in the WI i would go on and say that he does not merit selection. however i must say that if sehwag can score 309 then flintoff can definetly be a great all rounder

 

[a massive zebra]

Yes I did. :P

But I cant remember anyone with such a modest record rated so highly. He has a lot of catching up to do if he is worthy of his reputation. :!(

 

[Loony BoB]

The thing about Flintoff is that although he can be crap, it's not the opposition, it's himself. On a good day, he can take apart any bowling attack. Mind you, I haven't kept a close eye on him lately, my memory of him is when (much to my annoyance) he stopped Astle's 222 from making appearances on the top ten innings in cricket history by scoring a match winning century of his own. Bastard.

 

[tooextracool]

The thing about Flintoff is that although he can be crap, it's not the opposition, it's himself. On a good day, he can take apart any bowling attack. Mind you, I haven't kept a close eye on him lately, my memory of him is when (much to my annoyance) he stopped Astle's 222 from making appearances on the top ten innings in cricket history by scoring a match winning century of his own.

yes it must be said that when flintoff bats there is this amazing easyness that he brings to the crease. he makes batting look very easy even if it were in headingly with plenty of cloud cover(unlike sehwag). very rarely have i seen flintoff dismissed by a good ball, its more often his playing a stupid shot that gets him out.

 

[Loony BoB]

Reckless, eh? Sounds like McMillan, and look at how he turned out. Not really a true all rounder, as he's not a star bowler, mind you, but he still gets the odd wicket. His average is great, though, especially now that he's playing smarter than he used to.

 

[a massive zebra]

Reckless, eh? Sounds like McMillan, and look at how he turned out. Not really a true all rounder, as he's not a star bowler, mind you, but he still gets the odd wicket. His average is great, though, especially now that he's playing smarter than he used to.

Yeah but he was doing pretty well since he started. Its not been a gradual improvement.

 

[Langeveldt]

He can make batting look truly awful....

Im not really a fan of his, ill just go for yes... However ive seen some good performances from him and he is definitely improving into Englands premier all rounder....

 

[mavric41]

I think that he symbolises English Cricket - just not good enough.

 

[Jono]

Definitely...

 

[Craig]

Flintoff is rated quite highly by many people, and is seen as a crucial part of the England team. In reality he rarely scores many runs and hardly ever takes many wickets in Test cricket. He occasionally plays an entertaining innings, but his failures are far more frequent than his successes.

The fact is that he shows little sign of improvement. Even since his coming-of-age tour in 2001-02 he averages a modest 29 with the bat and 43 with the ball. No allrounder has played 50 Tests with such an ordinary output, let alone 100.

Well Flintoff has yet to play 50 Tests.

 

[Kenny]

Re: Re: Is Flintoff Overrated?

Well Flintoff has yet to play 50 Tests.

Yeah - I think that's the point - if he plays 50 tests with his record he can consider himself very lucky.

 

[marc71178]

Can someone do one of these for Trescothick please - could do with a performance from him.

First 5fer in Test Cricket after criticism on here following on from Harmo's and Jones' efforts in this series.

Come one everyone, slag the others off!

 

[badgerhair]

Flintoff's performance today underlines what I've always said about Hoggard, which is that he's absolutely useless and should be dropped immediately, as is obvious from the fact that he's the only so-called pace bowler in this side who hasn't got a five-fer in the series.

Trescothick is approximately the wrost bastman in wrold cricket and shouldn't just be dropped - he should be taken out and shot.

As for Giles, well, he just not very good, is he?

Cheers,

Mike

 

[tooextracool]

Flintoff's performance today underlines what I've always said about Hoggard, which is that he's absolutely useless and should be dropped immediately, as is obvious from the fact that he's the only so-called pace bowler in this side who hasn't got a five-fer in the series.

Trescothick is approximately the wrost bastman in wrold cricket and shouldn't just be dropped - he should be taken out and shot.

As for Giles, well, he just not very good, is he?

Cheers,

Mike

dude i dont see how u can criticise hoggard like this....so before this test match u would have been asking for flintoff to get the axe since he too hadnt taken a 5er? hoggards role in the side is to get 1-2 wickets with the new ball and then since he isnt very effect once the ball doesnt move about his job is to contain. and so far this series i dont think he hasnt done that. his performance with the new ball yesterday was hell of a lot better than harmison or jones and he was the only one actually pitching the ball up unlike harmo.
affirmative on trescothick though...ive been saying it for sooo long now but ive always been greeted with crap like "oh how can u drop a 40+average guy" or did u watch that 214 at the oval" or "have u seen how his 1 performance per year".
i will never understand what 3 spinners are doing in the ODI side!!??are the selectors blind to the fact that giles is getting hammered in the tests???just imagine how hes gonna be hammered in the ODIs.

 

[Craig]

Can someone do one of these for Trescothick please - could do with a performance from him.

First 5fer in Test Cricket after criticism on here following on from Harmo's and Jones' efforts in this series.

Come one everyone, slag the others off!

Well it is something that has taken a few years to achieve...

 

[Craig]

Trescothick is approximately the wrost bastman in wrold cricket and shouldn't just be dropped - he should be taken out and shot.

So does that make Visi Sibana Graeme Pollock or Sir Clive Walcott?

 

[marc71178]

Well it is something that has taken a few years to achieve...

But not for lack of effort (which if you'd seen his bowling recently you'd know)

 

[iamdavid]

But not for lack of effort (which if you'd seen his bowling recently you'd know)

Id have to agree there , If Mark Butcher brought him a beer for every catch he's put down off his bowling then I think he'd go some way towards equalling Boonie's record (58 cans on one international flight)