FROM THE WORLD CUP ARCHIVE: XI iconic Flintoff moments

For the May 2007 edition of The Cricketer, Lawrence Booth highlighted eleven irrepressible Flintoff moments – including the iconic Fredalo incident

For England fans, the 2007 World Cup is remembered for Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff getting drunk and being found trying to sail to shore on a pedalo. The incident, known as Fredalo, was hugely controversial, effortlessly hilarious and immeasurably farfetched – three things we came to expect from Freddie the cricketer.

For the May 2007 edition of The Cricketer, Lawrence Booth highlighted eleven irrepressible Flintoff moments – including the iconic Fredalo incident.

1: Fredalo, March 2007

English cricket’s previous form of transporta non grata had been the Tiger Moth, but Flintoff has always been more down to earth that that. Not that his pedalo adventure, inevitably dubbed “drunken antics “ by the tabloids, took place on terra firma. Having been found inebriated in charge of his vessel at 4am just off the St Lucian coast less than 36 hours before England’s World Cup game against Canada, Flintoff was stripped of the vice-captaincy. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed,” he said with a commendably straight face.

2: Trafalgar Square, September 2005

One of his previous high-profile brushes with the booze was passed off as well-deserved high-jinks, principally because England had just beaten Australia for the first time in 18 years. After spending all night reminiscing by his hotel bar, Flintoff faced the crowds and David Gower: “To be honest with you, David, I’m struggling. I’ve not been to bed yet. Behind these glasses there are a thousand stories.”

3: Brett Lee, August 2005

The notion that the 2005 Ashes was the politest for 20 years stemmed almost exclusively from Flintoff’s reaction to England’s two-run win at Edgbaston. Instead of melting into the disbelieving throng of team-mates, Flintoff sought out the crouching figure of Brett Lee and put an ursine arm round his shoulders. The image immediately entered folklore, and cricket’s stock rose exponentially. What had he said? “That’s 1-1, you Aussie b*****d,” he later joked.

4: That over, August 2005

The Edgbaston climax tends to overshadow what went before, but without Flintoff’s first over on the fourth evening, it might never have happened. Buoyed by a crash-bang 73 earlier in the day, he removed Justin Langer, bowled off an inside edge, with his second delivery, then gave Ricky Pointing the kind of going-over batsmen have nightmares about. Two cloud-scattering shouts for lbw were followed by a no-ball, which allowed Flintoff a crucial, seventh delivery. It was an unforgiving leg-cutter which Ponting could only flinch to Geraint Jones. Edgbaston shook with pleasure.

5: Getting shirty, February 2002

With India’s last pair needing six runs off two balls at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to take the one-day series 4-2, Flintoff splayed Javagal Srinath’s stumps and embarked on the kind of celebration that would earn a footballer a booking. Off came the shirt and round and round his head it went before his team-mates caught up and clung gratefully to his new improved torso. After being omitted from the original tour party, Flintoff was now very much a fixture.

6: Broken bat, August 2003

How hard does Flintoff hit the ball? Hard enough to split his bat in two, or so it seemed during the closing stages of England’s innings defeat to South Africa at Lord’s in 2003. Flintoff went out to bat averaging 15 in home Tests, and decided to right the wrong with some boy’s-own hitting. Sixteen off an over from Makhaya Ntini brought the crowd to life and left him with a cleft willow, split nearly down the middle and now comically resembling a ‘V’ shape. No matter: with his new blade he went to make 142 from 146 balls.

7: Freddie’s heroes, March 2006

Flintoff was only three games in to his first stint as England’s stand-in captain when he was faced with the need to create history to square the series in India. England had not win a Test there for 21 years; they had not won at Mumbai, the venue now, for 26. And yet, with a side missing Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Ashley Giles, Simon Jones and Steve Harmison, they thrashed India by 212 runs, with Flintoff scoring 50 in both innings and taking 3 for 14 in India’s second. The secret of his captaincy? Just play Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ in the dressing room.

8: A pint with a difference, c.1995

Jersey, a few years ago, and the Lancahsire squad are on an end-of-season jolly. Not that Flintoff is laughing when a ball from Hampshire’s Cardigan Connor hits him amidships, as they say. He retires to the dressing room in agony, where the coach David Lloyd has a plan for the bruised testicles. “Stick ‘em in there Freddie,” he says, handing over a pint of iced water. Flintoff obligies. Not long after, Gary Yates appears in the dressing room gasping for a drink. “This your pint?” he asks Flintoff, who nods quietly. None the wiser, Yates downs the iced water, at which point everyone erupts.

9: The other World Cup, June 2006

Cricket’s new-found place in celebrity’s upper echelons meant that Flintoff’s trip to Germany ahead of England’s football World Cup game against Paraguay was deemed worthy of a BBC interview with Ray Stubbs. The thing was, Freddie was just beginning a spell of recuperation because of his troubled ankle. And he’s been having a drink. “You’re my best mate, Stubbsy,” he slurred in front of a massive TV audience.

10: That spell, September 2005

With England reduced to four main bowlers for the 2005 Ashes finale at The Oval because of injury to Simon Jones, Flintoff decided to take matters into his own hands on the crucial fourth morning. Australia were well placed on 277 for 2, trailing by 96, only for Flintoff to bowl unchanged until six overs after lunch for a spell of 14.2-3-30-4. His victims were all good ones too – Ponting, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Shane Warne – and with the help of Matthew Hoggard, England eked out a vital lead.

11: Mind the windows, July 2004

Tino Best could sledge a bit. But his batting was not generally considered good enough to inspire others to sledge him back. Flintoff needed no invitation. West Indies were on the brink of defeat at Lord’s, when Flintoff – standing at slip – exhorted Best to “mind the windows, Tino.” Almost immediately, Best charged at Ashley Giles in an attempt to locate Regent’s Park, missed and was stumped. Flintoff ambled up the pitch, laughing uncontrollably. Sledging has rarely been more amiable – or more subtle.

This article first appeared in the May 2007 issue of The Cricketer

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