Andrew Flintoff helps out England in net session at the Gabba

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/18/andrew-flintoff-england-net-brisbane

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Peter Moores, the England coach, has confirmed he will be seeking the involvement of more former players in future after Andrew Flintoff joined the squad for practice at the Gabba before their second Tri-Series match against India.

Flintoff, hero of England’s 2005 Ashes series win, spent the afternoon with the team after flying in from Sydney, where he played for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League on Saturday night.

The 37-year-old, who played the last of his 79 Tests at The Oval against Australia in 2009, was also scheduled to spend the evening with England’s players, attending a barbecue on Brisbane’s riverside.

“I think it’s great getting ex-players like Freddie, who’ve played for their country and played brilliantly, around the squad and to share information,” said Moores.

“The game moves on but also some things stay exactly the same. So I think on the approach on how to play and stuff like that Freddie will come in and give his view. He had a bowl and it was just good to have him around.”

Moores admitted he is keen to follow the example of Darren Lehmann, Australia’s coach, who has brought a host of former players into the team environment since taking over the job 18 months ago.

Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist are three who have shared their experience and time with Australia’s current crop of players. It’s a process Moores is keen to replicate with England, who count a number of their former captains among the coterie of media who regularly follow the team around the world.

“It’s something the squad want to do more – connect with some of the past players and make sure we build up those relationships,” said Moores. “It’s really important to them, I think, because there are some great players who’ve played for England in the past and we have a group of players whose job it is now to represent their country that way so to keep connected with them is really important.”

There were no Churchillian speeches from Flintoff on Sunday. Instead, on his arrival, he spent 45 minutes running the whole squad through a boxing drill, holding pads and working through quick sets with each player.

Flintoff, kitted out in full England training regalia at the Gabba, turned his hand to boxing in 2012 and won his only professional fight, against American Richard Dawson, in controversial circumstances. But, once the players had moved to the nets, he was back doing what he always did best, bowling in an England shirt.

He had lengthy conversations with David Saker, England’s bowling coach, Mark Ramprakash, the team’s batting coach, and the bowlers Chris Jordan and Steven Finn. Yet towards the end of the session Flintoff finally had the ball in hand, spending around 20 minutes bowling at Jordan and Chris Woakes.

Jos Buttler, England’s wicketkeeper, was a team-mate of Flintoff’s at Lancashire last summer, when he made a comeback five years after retiring to play in the NatWest T20 Blast. “It’s great to see Fred,” he said. “I think it’s fantastic people can spend some time with him and have a chat. He’s just great fun to be around.

“He popped in and played a few games here and there at Lancashire last summer but worked hard – he spent a lot of time bowling in the nets. That was the first time I’d really met him and to say you’ve shared a changing room with Freddie Flintoff is something I never thought would happen. I thoroughly enjoyed being around him. He’s a larger-than-life character.”

Many of England’s players were schoolboys when Flintoff played a starring role in the 2005 Ashes, so it is no wonder thatButtler, 24, and others are so positive about spending time with a player they revered as youngsters. He said: “That 2005 series was amazing, probably the best ever, and even now in 2015 everyone can remember it like yesterday – the great things he and that team did.”

Buttler, mentored during his formative years at Somerset by another of England’s 2005 Ashes stars in Marcus Trescothick, added: “The guys are keen to try and get some past players in. Freddie played a lot of cricket, a lot of internationals, and I think it’s something we can do more – get people involved and try and learn from them.

“Personally I really enjoy speaking to guys who’ve been there and done it.

“Marcus is another who has been a massive help and a hero growing up. I still keep in contact with him and he’s a good guy to be able to call on if you need to.”

Meanwhile, James Anderson, who bowled for a substantial period of time in the nets, looks set to return on Tuesday from the knee injury that kept him out of Friday’s defeat by Australia.