I'm a wiser skipper now, insists Flintoff

Learning through experience: Flintoff
14 April 2012

Andrew Flintoff is confident he will head to Australia this winter a wiser captain than when he last led England.

As Flintoff fills the shoes of the injured Michael Vaughan in the hope of retaining the Ashes, he appreciates the workload which some fear may take its toll on him - but is satisfied he will not over-stretch himself.

Read more:

• McGrath's warning for Freddie

• Lee can't wait to resume Ashes battle

The all-rounder's fast bowling and belligerent middle-order batting give the England team their pivot - and many observers have voiced concerns Flintoff may have too much on his plate, particularly because he has yet to play since the first half of the 2006 season thanks to an ankle injury.

"In the first Test at Lord's [against Sri Lanka] I bowled a lot, and that is something I've learned from," he said, reflecting on his first stint as England captain.

Flintoff subsequently had to have surgery on his left ankle and therefore sat out two NatWest Series and four Tests against Pakistan.

"I'm excited about playing. The one thing I've found not playing all summer is how much I have missed it," he added. It was not until this month that a recuperating Flintoff was named as captain, ahead of Andrew Strauss, for the ICC Champions Trophy in India and then the Ashes. He is enthused at the prospect.

"It is something I have enjoyed doing, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in Australia," said the 28-year-old. "To play in that series is one thing - but to be captain is going to be amazing. It is something I am really excited and confident about doing."

As for the prospect of facing opponents re-established as the world's best since their surprise 2005 Ashes defeat, Flintoff is well aware the pressure will be on England.

"We have to make sure we prepare right for what is going to be a huge task ahead of us," he said. "We know it is going to be tough playing against the best team in the world on their home patch. "But we cannot fear it ... we have to go out there and express ourselves and enjoy the occasion. If we can do that, we have every chance."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in