Rejuvenated Flintoff makes his mark

1 September 2008

Andrew Flintoff continued his stunning form by hitting 31 off just 12 balls at Lord's

Coach Peter Moores believes England are benefiting from Andrew Flintoff's determination to savour his chance to play international cricket again following injury.

Moores has been delighted with the contribution of his 30-year-old all-rounder both on and off the pitch during England’s march into a 4-0 NatWest Series lead over South Africa with the prospect of completing a stunning whitewash at the SWALEC Stadium on Wednesday.

Flintoff, sidelined for over a year with ankle and side strain injuries, has been instrumental in England's domination of the tourists and, according to captain Kevin Pietersen is "playing some of the best cricket he's ever played".

Quite apart from claiming nine wickets in the series at a miserly 14.33 apiece, he has also contributed 187 runs in just three innings, including a rapid unbeaten 31 off just 12 balls at Lord's yesterday to seal England's emphatic seven-wicket triumph.

It is the culmination of months of hard work returning from a fourth operation on his left ankle - and a determination to once again hit the heights he reached during his man-of-the-series displays during the triumphant 2005 Ashes series.

"Fred has come in there, he knows he's missed a lot of cricket, he's excited about playing again and he's working very hard," enthused Moores, whose England side will rise to an unprecedented second in the International Cricket Council one-day rankings if they complete the series whitewash later this week.

"He's scored runs but he was the first in the nets again working on different aspects of his batting.

"That is exciting because as a leader for everybody else that's going to take other people along. He's loving his cricket, which is great for everybody.

Flintoff's presence serves as an inspiration to his team-mates, according to coach Peter Moores

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"I think for lots of players injuries make you realise that what you had was something special and you want it back because it's a great buzz."

Having made his mark on the pitch, Flintoff has also made his contribution to the dressing room, emerging as a role model to the younger players in England's one-day squad.

"He has presence as a man," claimed Moores. "There are people who you know believe totally in themselves and that they're going to win the game.

"On the field you'll see his passion and his enthusiasm to want to play but also that is linked in with a calmness, which is what you need to win things.

"When it gets tight he takes a deep breath and delivers his skills. Sides need their experienced players to know what's going to happen, who have been around the block, and they can keep things calm when you need to deliver.

"Fred has got that balance and it's been great to watch him operate because you can see him loving every minute of it.

"Great players play well themselves but they also make other people play well and that's the role you want from your senior players."

Moores added: "He's obviously a very good cricketer but what we are seeing is a bloke who is mature. Around the dressing room he's in great form.

New captain Kevin Pietersen has benefited from Flintoff's support on and off the pitch

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"He's calm, very committed and I think with him in that sort of role for the young players he's a fantastic role model to have because a lot of playing sport at the top level is handling it and just taking it on the chin.

"The one thing Fred has done really well has been to support Kevin and every captain needs his senior players to work with him and he's done that really well.

"Fred was ready to come back and take all he knew about international cricket and all he's learned about life and come back and be ready to make a difference - and he's done that."

Flintoff has been a constant presence around the young bowlers, offering advice to Stuart Broad, James Anderson and fellow all-rounder Luke Wright since returning to the England squad this summer.

It has helped take the burden off new captain Pietersen, and Moores believes it could also accelerate the development of a side threatening to become England's best since that which reached the 1992 World Cup final.

"I think young players respond to Fred as a bloke," explained Moores. "He bats, bowls and fields and leads by example, he's got really good knowledge from the cricket he has played around the world and he wants to pass that on to young players.

"When someone is pulling for you in your country and it's someone of the stature of Fred Flintoff, that's a nice thing to have both in the dressing room and on the field."

Flintoff, who had to pass a fitness test on a back spasm to make his man-of-the-match display at Lord's, is expected to feature in the final match at Cardiff, although he has cancelled a game of golf today as a precaution.