Thaindian News

London, Jan 11 (ANI): Former cricketer and columnist Derek Pringle has asked England’s selectors to build on the progress made in South Africa by not picking all rounder Andrew Flintoff again.

Flintoff deservedly became a sporting icon after England’s unexpected Ashes victory in 2005, but that reputation has been dented due to his constant injuries.

“Even if he makes a full recovery, England’s selectors should take a deep breath and move on. That will sound like heresy to the fan in the street, but England’s Test team have proved they can function perfectly well without him, so why not the one-day side?” The Telegraph quoted Pringle, as saying.

Skipper Andrew Strauss has occasionally missed the control his bowling brings, but he has learnt to budget for it without compromising his plans, he wrote.

“If there is still a case for playing him purely in cricketing terms, assuming he returns to full fitness, it weakens considerably when you consider what his return might do for team unity, welded into something strong by Strauss and Andy Flower these past few months,” Pringle wrote.

He said that the England captain and head coach have introduced an uncompromising set of standards based on hard work and discipline, two things anathema to Flintoff when not in rehab.

“Yet, whenever talk in the England camp turns to big Freddie and his future, the phrase you hear most, almost as if it is insurmountable, is that he must buy into the new dressing-room philosophy,” Pringle wrote.

The selectors will make their view known when Flintoff recovers, but England have thrived without him in South Africa, the paper reports. (ANI)