Flintoff must play
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May 1, 2008, 11:50 am
Filed under: Cricket | Tags: Adil Rashid, Andrew Flintoff, county cricket, Cricket, England, England Lions, james anderson, Justin Langer, Matthew Hoggard, Michael Vaughan, Peter Moores, Ryan Sidebottom, Somerset, The England
Filed under: Cricket | Tags: Adil Rashid, Andrew Flintoff, county cricket, Cricket, England, England Lions, james anderson, Justin Langer, Matthew Hoggard, Michael Vaughan, Peter Moores, Ryan Sidebottom, Somerset, The England
I don’t fucking care if this man can’t bat for shit any more.
Put him at anywhere in the last four if needs be, but he should play for The England.
I’ll tell you why.
He’s the best fast bowler in the country.
Justin Langer in his latest BBC column had this to say about the fella.
Only last week I padded up against Lancashire in the County Championship for Somerset and I can say first hand that Flintoff is absolutely ready to be picked for the first Test against New Zealand.
One of the joys of retiring from international cricket was knowing that I wouldn’t be peppered by the world’s best fast bowlers ever again.
This in mind, I was shocked at the ferocity of the Flintoff onslaught at Old Trafford.
As I kept saying to him, I could have understood if I was batting with Matthew Hayden and wearing a green Australia helmet with a kangaroo and emu embroidered on the front.
Instead, I was in a red Somerset helmet with Marcus Trescothick partnering me, so if I was ever in for a reprieve from England’s best fast bowler then surely that would have been the time.
History will suggest this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
For about an hour I could have been in the boxing ring with Joe Calzaghe and by the end of it I had literally copped a hammering.
My ribs, elbow and chest were so bruised I could have been confused for Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas!
Both Marcus and I agreed his spell was one of the great ones either of us had ever faced and while it was ugly – and at times intimidating – it is what we miss about playing international cricket on its toughest days.
This is one seriously good bowler.
Given the choice between Anderson & Flintoff, who would you pick? Between Hoggard & Flintoff, or Broad & Flintoff?
My bowling attack would look like this.
Flintoff, Rashid, Broad, Sidebottom. Or maybe Panesar for Rashid (we’ll see how he does against the Lions).
That’s a lot of batting. Flintoff and Rashid are excellent all-rounders, and Broad & Sidebottom can be relied upon to hold a bat.
Come on Mooresy, you know you want it.
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Suave's Republique Cricket 
The Langer stuff is like the man himself, small and hard to understand.
Comment by J Rod May 1, 2008 @ 11:53 amIt looks OK in IE. I shall make it bigger post haste.
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 11:55 amThis guy is by far the best England have got. Unlike Harmison who does well in the county circuit and sucks at the international level.
What happened to Simon Jones mate?
Comment by 12 th Man May 1, 2008 @ 12:00 pmHe’s injured.
This is his permanent state. Every few years he pops up, looks good, then returnd to injury. It’s his neck this time.
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 12:02 pmOK have read it now, you can make it smaller, its crap.
Comment by J Rod May 1, 2008 @ 12:05 pmRemember when we had no all-rounders. That was shit.
Comment by King Cricket May 1, 2008 @ 12:11 pmThat was shit KC..
Mullaly, Tufnell, Giddins. What a line up. No wickets and a tail as long as a long tailed lemur!
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 12:15 pmLanger is better off playing IPL instead. He is past his prime and not good for competitive cricket.
Comment by 12 th Man May 1, 2008 @ 12:16 pmI don’t agree with that 12th Man. He is a league above everyone but Trescothick down at Somerset, and the man has shown some class by choosing to see out his contract with them. He is signed to the IPL but has chosen not to play until his Somerset contract is over.
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 12:26 pmThat shows the quality of the man, in my eyes.
I am not questioning his credibility. Its nice that he has chosen to stick to Somerset until the contract expires. Is he the same potent force, is my question.
Comment by 12 th Man May 1, 2008 @ 12:31 pmHe’s averaging 39 after two games, and he averaged 56 last year.
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 12:40 pmI’d like to see Flintoff play for England again, I need to rebuild some hatred for him. Five days of watching him carry his team made me feel sorry for him, and that’s not on.
Do you think Michael Vaughan’s look of horror is directed at a mad fan who has caught his eye?
Comment by Miss Field May 1, 2008 @ 3:02 pmIt could be that he’d just seen your knickers flying towards him!
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 3:13 pmNah I’m sure he wasn’t sitting next to Freddie that day.
Hey did you remove Michael Hussey from your tag list or did he vanish because of lack of interest?
Comment by Miss Field May 1, 2008 @ 3:17 pmNo, he’s naturally fallen off the list. Which means you’re no longer under but next to Michael Vaughan
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 3:23 pmMaybe that’s why he looks so horrified.
I, on the other hand, am delighted. And no one will speak of M Hussey again!
Comment by Miss Field May 1, 2008 @ 4:01 pmI’m bringing him back, and he’ll be all over you like a cheap suit
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 4:02 pmWell that wouldn’t be very suave of you.
Comment by Miss Field May 1, 2008 @ 4:04 pmI will resist for the time being, so you can have a little time on your own with Vaughany.
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 4:16 pmYou are good to me.
So do you think Freddie will play against NZ?
Comment by Miss Field May 1, 2008 @ 4:22 pmI know..
Yes, I think he will. Whether he gets the first test or not, is a different matter.,
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 5:49 pmPicking the best players in the country for the national team? That’s a radical policy, Suave. You’d never make a England selector.
Though if we’re picking bowlers, I reckon we could do a lot worse than Saqlain Mushtaq.
Comment by Dave May 1, 2008 @ 7:11 pmI’m not a fan of someone playing for two international countries, so i’d have to say no to Saqlain. As great as he is. There’s kids that have trained their whole lives to play for England.
Comment by Suave May 1, 2008 @ 8:00 pmEven KP I can put up with, as he chose to play for England, and never played elsewhere.
I’ve read that Langer piece, and now I need a shower.
Just another case of him being a brown-nose.
Disgusting
Comment by Sportsfreak May 1, 2008 @ 8:46 pmSorry, Two Bins, Flintoff can’t play. If he bowls, we need four other bowlers. And, seeing as he can’t bat, we need a few all-rounders. If we play Rashid, then Monty will be dropped.
If Monty is dropped the Owls will stop spinning the Earth around and then we’re all buggered.
Do you want that to happen? DO YOU?
Comment by The Atheist May 1, 2008 @ 11:19 pmFair point Suave, but though I reckon playing alongside someone Saqlain would do wonders for Monty Panesar.
If we ever stumble upon the revolutionary idea of playing two spinners, I’d pick Saqqy. I’m not convinced about Rashid yet, and Graeme Swann can fuck right off.
Comment by Dave May 1, 2008 @ 11:20 pmAtheist, I’m not so sure, he’s bowling 15-20 overs an innings. James Anderson bowled 24 overs in the whole of the last NZ test.
Comment by Suave May 2, 2008 @ 9:20 amAnd the owls need to be shown that they aren’t the be all and end all.