{"id":292479,"date":"2023-09-14T11:33:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T11:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=292479"},"modified":"2023-09-14T11:33:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T11:33:55","slug":"how-the-cricket-world-has-rallied-behind-freddie-flintoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/%d1%81ricket\/how-the-cricket-world-has-rallied-behind-freddie-flintoff\/","title":{"rendered":"How the cricket world has rallied behind Freddie Flintoff"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Freddie Flintoff: How Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad and the cricket world have rallied behind the Ashes hero after he joined the England team as mentor following his near-fatal car crash on Top Gear last year<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Freddie Flintoff suffered a near-fatal car crash while filming Top Gear<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The great all-rounder has joined England&#8217;s ODI team as a consultant<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Flintoff made his first public appearance since the crash last week\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The cricketing world has rallied behind Freddie Flintoff since he made his first public appearance last week\u00a0<span>following <\/span>a near-fatal car crash<span>\u00a0he suffered\u00a0<span>while filming the <\/span>BBC<span>\u2019s <\/span>Top Gear<span>\u00a0show in December 2022.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 45-year-old\u00a0returned to working with the England cricket team\u00a0over the weekend with cuts noticeable on his nose and mouth, but his facial injuries appear to have improved in pictures released on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Flintoff joined\u00a0Jos Buttler\u2019s side as a consultant for their ODI series against New Zealand and has been overseeing training and warm-up sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Wearing a baseball mitt to act as a makeshift wicketkeeper, the Lancastrian cut a relaxed figure as he chatted with the players ahead of the third ODI against the Kiwis at The Oval, which England won at a canter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Flintoff was\u00a0left with severe facial wounds and several broken ribs after his crash at\u00a0Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey at the end of last year last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75424893-0-image-a-58_1694687094178.jpg\" height=\"463\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Andrew Flintoff suffered gruesome facial injuries in a near-fatal crash while filming the BBC&#8217;s motoring show Top Gear in December last year\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75424789-0-image-a-54_1694686972387.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Flintoff returned to the England set up as an advisor to the ODI team last week<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75424795-0-image-a-56_1694686986785.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>He\u00a0oversaw a warm-up session before England&#8217;s third ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday<\/p>\n<p><span>The crash happened as his three-wheeled open-top car, which did not have air bags, flipped while filming the hit BBC motoring show on December 13.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Flintoff then had to wait an &#8216;agonising&#8217; 45 minutes for an air ambulance &#8211; with the BBC later giving him an apology.<\/p>\n<p>The father-of-four, who also narrowly cheated death following a 125mph crash in 2019, quit his Top Gear job after the accident and the BBC cancelled the latest series of the show \u2013 with its future remaining in doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>One of the great all-rounders of the English game and the hero of the 2005 Ashes triumph, Flintoff played 141 ODIs before retiring after England won the urn in 2009.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And he has received plenty of support since his return to cricket, with former teammates and current players both praising his impact and expressing their relief at seeing him on the mend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Here, <span>Mail Sport<\/span> rounds up how the cricketing world has reacted to Flintoff&#8217;s return.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Jos Buttler<\/span><\/p>\n<p>England&#8217;s white-ball captain spoke glowingly of Flintoff as the former all-rounder made his first public appearance last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;He\u2019s obviously an England legend and it\u2019s just nice to have him around the group,&#8217; Buttler said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;He\u2019s not been brought in with any specific role, just to be around and observe. A few of the lads can pick his brains a little bit and he\u2019s settled in really well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It\u2019s great to have him with us. Just for this series.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75424431-0-image-a-48_1694686577473.jpg\" height=\"464\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Jos Buttler (right)\u00a0spoke glowingly of Flintoff (left) as the former all-rounder made his first public appearance last week<\/p>\n<p><span><span>Liam Livingstone<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3>READ MORE Will Top Gear return to our screens? Freddie Flintoff&#8217;s horror crash hangs BBC show in the balance amid ongoing health and safety review and departure of its editorial director<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/11\/14\/75289737-12504543-image-a-41_1694440453109.jpg\" height=\"231\" width=\"274\"><\/p>\n<p>The England batter described Flintoff as &#8216;a national hero&#8217; and revealed the players did not need a second chance to ask the 45-year-old for advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s incredible to have someone of his experience with us,\u2019 the Lancashire all-rounder said after the first ODI.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s been great for the lads to have him here now.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We\u2019ve all been talking to him, especially when we were batting. You\u2019ve got three and a half hours to pick the brains of someone who\u2019s been there and done it.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;He\u2019s a national hero so everybody loves that Fred\u2019s going to be with us for the whole of this series and I\u2019m sure he will enjoy himself as well.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><span><span>Paul Collingwood<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Flintoff is \u2018pinching himself\u2019 to be involved with the England team again, according to his 2005 Ashes-winning team-mate Paul Collingwood.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s important for him, and it\u2019s great for the lads to have him around,\u2019 said England\u2019s assistant Test coach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The knowledge he\u2019s got playing the game and pressure situations \u2013 he pretty much encapsulated how this white-ball team goes about their cricket.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It\u2019s all about putting the opposition under pressure, which is exactly what he did.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He\u2019s got to pinch himself at times. It\u2019s like: \u201cI\u2019m working with these guys that I\u2019ve been watching on TV!\u201d For someone like that to say that is really humbling.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He went more down the entertainment route and been very successful with it as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;But he\u2019s at a time in his life where this is what he wants to do, and the best thing for him mentally is to be in and around the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I think he\u2019s really enjoyed it.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span><span>Kevin Pietersen<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Another of the stars of the 2005 Ashes series, Pietersen welcomed back his former teammate with a succinct social media message reading &#8216;Freddie back!&#8217; followed by several heart emojis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75241861-0-image-a-51_1694686679889.jpg\" height=\"214\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p><span><span>David Lloyd<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Mail Sport<\/span>&#8216;s David &#8216;Bumble&#8217; Lloyd also turned to social media to welcome his fellow Lancastrian back to cricket.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Really, really pleased! Great to have him back in the game,&#8217; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75241865-0-image-a-53_1694686727725.jpg\" height=\"163\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p><span><span>Stuart Broad<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Broad echoed the feelings of his former teammates, suggesting England&#8217;s ODI players would relish the opportunity to work alongside Flintoff, whom he described as a legend of the game.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I saw him in Cardiff and had 10 minutes with him and he was in really fine form,&#8217; the former England seamer said on Sky Sports ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;When you look at the players who are in this white ball side, Freddie Flintoff would have inspired them back in 2005 and before.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;He&#8217;s an icon of English cricket, he&#8217;s a legend of the game. So just to be able to spend some time around him, to pick his brain, and feel the aura that he has within the group.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75424437-0-image-a-46_1694686456719.jpg\" height=\"397\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Stuart Broad (middle) found Flintoff (left) to be in &#8216;fine form&#8217; as he spoke to him last week<\/p>\n<p><span><span>Steve Harmison<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Steve Harmison admitted it was &#8216;tough&#8217; to see his former teammate&#8217;s brutal facial injuries and revealed Flintoff still covered up his face less than two months ago.<\/p>\n<p>And Harmison, who was also part of the 2005 Ashes-winning squad, believes Flintoff&#8217;s presence around the ODI team can only be a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It&#8217;s been tough, you&#8217;ve seen the pictures of him with a smile on his face but I saw him about six weeks ago when my son Charlie and his son, Rocky played against each other and it was great to see him,&#8217; he told talkSPORT.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/14\/11\/75424451-0-image-a-47_1694686459826.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Steve Harmison (left) &#8211; who played with Flintoff (right) for seven years &#8211; revealed his former teammate\u00a0still covered up his face less than two months ago<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I got to see him then but at that time he covered his face up when he walked around. [&#8230;]\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;He was in great form, but to see him around the England group, the main team, was fantastic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;This England team are a good bunch and not only are they great cricketers, but they&#8217;re great ambassadors.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Freddie was always brilliant in the dressing room and so to have Andrew in the dressing room with them and feeling comfortable and letting him get his feet under the table because they&#8217;ll be in for a show.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/cricket\/article-12517801\/Freddie-Flintoff-Jos-Butler-Stuart-Broad-cricket-England-car-crash-Gear.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Freddie Flintoff: How Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad and the cricket world have rallied behind the Ashes hero after he joined <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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