Flintoff revels in England chance (20 Jul 1998)
LANCASHIRE cricket has the chance to hail its next Test cricketer at Old Trafford tonight
20-Jul-1998
20 July 1998
Flintoff revels in England chance
The Lancashire Evening Telegraph
LANCASHIRE cricket has the chance to hail its next Test cricketer at
Old Trafford tonight.
Andy Flintoff, who was yesterday called into England's squad for the
third Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge, will be keen to
celebrate in the floodlit AXA League clash with Worcestershire - and
new England colleague Graeme Hick.
Flintoff is not a Test cricketer yet, of course, and there is every
chance that he will be left out of England's final 11 for Nottingham
if they decide to play two spinners. But the 20-year-old's selection
shows that he will play for his country sooner rather than later.
He found out the news yesterday morning as he was travelling down to
Oxfordshire with his Lancashire team mates for a sixes tournament in
aid of Wasim Akram's benefit - and thought it was a Mike Watkinson
wind-up!
"The call from David Graveney came through on Winker's mobile while we
were on the coach," he revealed. "When he told me it was Grav on the
phone, I thought it was a wind-up. I couldn't believe it when it
really was him.
"It was a short call, he just said 'you're in, congratulations.' The
first thing I did was ring home and tell my mum." The selection crowns
an amazing 12 months for Flintoff, who this time last year was still
struggling to break into the Lancashire team after his back problems,
and playing for England under 19s.
His big breakthrough came with a match-winning innings at Worcester,
so it is fitting that he faces Worcestershire tonight.
Then came a maiden first class century against Hampshire at
Portsmouth, followed closely by selection for the England A tour of
Kenya and Sri Lanka.
He has been marked down as a future international by the England coach
David Lloyd for years. But his form this season, with the bat and
recently the ball, has forced a call-up earlier than anyone could have
expected.
He hit a magnificent second century at Northampton, helped Lancashire
to victory at Warwickshire with a swashbuckling 70, and hammered the
fastest half century of the season against Surrey at Old Trafford,
including 34 in an over from his former England under 19 team mate
Alex Tudor.
And last week at Lytham, he took three wickets in an innings for the
first time in first class cricket to show that his recovery from those
back problems is well on track.
Flintoff is sure to face the added pressure of being tagged the new
Ian Botham whenever he does make his international bow. But he has
plenty of experienced Lancashire team mates to lean on for advice and
one of them, Neil Fairbrother, is confident that he will handle it.
"The step up from county cricket to a Test environment is massive,"
said Fairbrother. "But although Freddie is very young, I am sure he
can take it in his stride. He is very level-headed, nothing ever seems
to worry him too much."
Flintoff's selection leaves Lancashire with a problem ahead of the
Championship game against Glamorgan starting at Colwyn Bay on
Wednesday.
They will also be without Mike Atherton while Fairbrother is a major
doubt with his ankle ligament injury.
At least the England selectors have ignored John Crawley's claims to
open with Atherton, although everyone at Lancashire is convinced that
he should also be in the team.
It means a chance for some of Flintoff's fellow youngsters to take
part in Lancashire's Championship bid, with Nathan Wood, Paddy
McKeown, Mark Harvey and Mark Chilton all in contention.
But first it's Worcestershire at Old Trafford tonight - when all eyes
will be on Flintoff.
Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)