Since retiring his cricket bat, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has cycled 1200km across the Amazon, bulked up to become a professional boxer and cooked fish and chips for the nation.
And now he’s dabbling in stand-up by sharing his stories on stage for his Freddie Flintoff: 2nd Innings tour.
He will try anything once and is a man of no regrets, but Flintoff exclusively reveals to JOE that he would happily drop everything and put the whites back on to play a part in the Ashes.
We caught up with the former England captain days before the series started, and he told us about his longing to get back out on the field.
“I think this is the week I want to more than any other,” admits Freddie. “I love what I’m doing now but I’d swap it all to play on Wednesday (the start of Ashes).”
“But I think I’ll still be like that when I’m 70.”
Flintoff played 79 Tests for England, 141 One Day Internationals and was hailed throughout his career as a world-class all-rounder. Since retiring through injury, the Lancashire-born man mountain has maintained his relationships in the sport – unlike Kevin Pietersen, who has backed Australia to retain the urn.
“Where I am with cricket at the moment is nice as I can have it on my own terms,” says Flintoff.
“I can take my kids to watch and sit in the crowd. Because I’ve not burnt my bridges with teams and sold out and slagged off in the media, I still get invited to the dressing room, which is the biggest compliment you can have.
“I really enjoy cricket now, which I didn’t when I retired. I thought ‘I’m only 31, I should still be playing.’ But now I love seeing it through my kids eyes as they love it. I love seeing the excitement they get from it.”
Flintoff was always one of the leading characters for England; he was the biggest personality and helped to build strong camaraderie in the group. With the Ashes now under way, does he believe fellowship is as important as form?
“I think you need a bit of everything”, says the 37-year-old.
“England have form going into it from where they were. They are at their most dangerous when they’re written off. When they are written off, there is no pressure.
“They’ve had a poor run but now they seem together as a side, which is important. You do need team camaraderie but team spirit is tested when you’re not performing well.
“It comes naturally when you are winning but as soon as you start losing that’s when people look after their own back and maybe stick the knife in.
“But I think England have been through that and it hasn’t happened, there’s a real sense of togetherness and they all seem to like one another, which is rare.
“They have a captain (Alastair Cook) who isn’t England’s best captain ever – but he doesn’t profess to be. The team are behind him as all the team like him and that’s all he needs. I think they’re in a good place.”
It sounds like your money is on England?
“Without a doubt. I have every faith in them.”
For dates and tickets to see Freddie Flintoff: 2nd Innings tour, go to www.ticketmaster.co.uk
