Andrew Flintoff made the dreaded announcement. And indirectly he has proved what Sir Geoffrey Boycott predicted when Flintoff last broke down.
England all rounder, Flintoff, made the announcement to retire from Tests at the end of the Ashes. He made the revelation after he first spoke to the team. Flintoff injured his right knee again in the first Ashes Test at SophiaGardens, Cardiff, and perhaps the cortisone injections gave him a dose of reality. While he stated that the decision has been brewing for a while, the injury would have pushed him into making the difficult announcement.
What his means though that he will continue to be available for ODIs and Twenty20 and perhaps this is his way of prolonging his cricket career, seeming as is that he has played only twenty-three off the last forty-eight Tests that England have played, forcing Boycott to make a prediction much like Flintoff’s statement. Neither were his team mates surprised although saddened nonetheless.
It will still be interesting if Flintoff can still make it to Lord’s tomorrow for the second Test given that despite the injury, he would want to play every last Test at home. This is the second retirement announcement after Michal Vaughan did so at the start of the series.
Seen at Trafalgar Square during the Ashes 2005 celebrations
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Vaughan retirement:
Michael Vaughan Set to Retire?
