Andrew Flintoff to meet up with England team during nets in Brisbane

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/17/andrew-flintoff-meet-england-team-nets-brisbane

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Six years after he bade an emotional farewell to international cricket, Andrew Flintoff will be involved in an England squad once again after it was confirmed he will take part in the team’s net practice at the Gabba on Sunday.

The 37-year-old all-rounder, in Queensland playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, has been invited by Peter Moores, the England coach, to offer his advice to the team’s bowlers before their second match of the Tri-Series against India on Tuesday.

His presence will give England’s World Cup preparations a boost after they suffered a three-wicket defeat by Australia in their opening match of the triangular series in Sydney on Friday.

It will be Flintoff’s first involvement with England since the last of his 79 Tests in 2009, when Flintoff’s run-out of Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, helped secure a memorable 2-1 Ashes series victory at The Oval.

Flintoff will always be remembered for his role in the iconic 2005 Ashes, when his 24 wickets and magnetic on-field presence did so much to inspire England to their first series win against Australia in 18 years. Now he is back to help England try and get the better of Australia once again, with the teams playing each other again in Hobart next week before their World Cup opener in Melbourne on 14 February.

After five years out of the game, when he spent much of his time carving out a career in the TV industry, Flintoff returned to cricket last summer, playing for Lancashire in the NatWest T20 Blast competition. It was the Old Trafford connection between Flintoff and Moores, Lancashire’s former head coach, that helped facilitate the link-up in Australia. It is also understood Stuart Broad played a significant role in welcoming his former team-mate back into the fold.

Flintoff confirmed his involvement with England during Saturday’s Big Bash match between the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder, joking: “I’ll bowl the batsmen back into form.”

However, England confirmed there is no formal arrangement for Flintoff to bowl at England’s batsmen and, at this stage, there is just a loose agreement for him to lend his ear to the players and offer any advice he can give, specifically on bowling at the end of one-day innings. Given Flintoff averaged 24.38 during a 141-match one-day international career, his advice will be greatly appreciated.

While Flintoff has been invited into England’s inner sanctum, Kevin Pietersen showed Moores and company exactly what they will be missing at the World Cup with his latest star turn in the Big Bash. The 34-year-old batsman, sacked by England last February, scored 67 off 42 balls in Sydney to guide the Melbourne Stars to an eight-wicket win that takes them to the brink of the semi-finals.

Pietersen, now the leading run-scorer in this edition of the Big Bash, said: “I’m batting as well as ever. I’ve got rid of my knee pain. I’m just enjoying myself, having fun. I think the batting lineup they’ve [England] got is exciting.”