Fletcher: Flintoff was in such a state
Former England coach Duncan Fletcher has revealed how a training session was cancelled last winter because captain Andrew Flintoff was under the influence of alcohol.
The revelations come in Fletcher's new autobiography, which had widely been expected to lift the lid on the 5-0 Ashes debacle of 2006-07 and the disastrous World Cup campaign that followed.
Fletcher, writing in 'Behind the Shades', which is being serialised by the Daily Mail, said: "Flintoff was in such a state he could not throw properly. He had to pass the ball to the bloke next to him to do so."
He added: "I was fuming and stopped the practice early. Remember - this was the England captain in this state. I had to calm down and think what to do."
Fletcher revealed he seriously considered dropping Flintoff but eventually decided against it to avoid negative publicity.
He added: "What it meant was that when the 'Fredalo' nonsense occurred six weeks later, during the World Cup, there was no way Flintoff could escape censure."
