Freddie Flintoff makes naked Ashes promise

 
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Tom Dutton4 July 2013

Andrew Flintoff is so confident of England’s chances in the Ashes that he has vowed to run around Lord’s naked if Australia take a 2-0 series lead this summer.

The 35-year-old was speaking to Merv Hughes on BBC Radio 5 Live when he made the daring bet with the former Australian bowler.

Hughes had told viewers he would be travelling to England for the Ashes series when Flintoff warned the 51-year-old not to “put himself through it” in a jovial exchange.

“I’ll miss the first Test match. The first Test match is the most exciting of all time and for Australia to go 1-0 up I’ll be pretty comfortable coming into the Lord’s test match,” said Hughes.

“We’ve only lost one at Lord’s so we’ll probably go 2-0 up there and we’ll just steam roll from there.”

The audacious claim led Flintoff to gamble his modesty for the cause, suggesting he would bare all in a remarkable show of confidence in his fellow countrymen.

“If they [Australia] go 2-0 up in the first two I’ll run round Lords naked. No chance,” he said, to the sound of laughter from Hughes, who asked: “Do you have anyone listening to this show?”

England are favourites to win their third successive Ashes series, but Flintoff was quick to err on the side of caution once the light-hearted pleasantries had subsided.

“I think now it’s going to be closer than everyone was anticipating, I think it’s going to be a good series,” said the two-time Ashes winner.

The series kicks off at Trent Bridge on Wednesday before the teams come to Lord’s on July 18.

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