The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Flintoff guides England into semifinals

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Monday, Sep 20, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Flintoff guides England into semifinals

By Ted Corbett

SOUTHAMPTON, SEPT. 19. How often will we see the scene again? Andrew Flintoff, doffing his helmet, standing tall in the middle of the ground, waving to the crowd, the sun glinting on his yellow hair, looking for all the world like so brave a Viking warrior acknowledging another battle triumph. Often I hope; for he is an entertainer as well as a fine cricketer who has now learnt to judge the right time to attack, the right ball to hit, the right bowler for his huge sixes: 72 in 69 one-day international innings, the only major batsman able to average more than one each time he visits the pitch.

The entertainer

No wonder the crowds love him; no wonder he loves the crowds and shows it in every gesture once he has reached his century. In his last six one-day innings for England he has made three — against West Indies, New Zealand and now Sri Lanka — and 99 off India before the old rash ways reasserted themselves. But the young chess player who might have gone on to an international cap if he had not concentrated on cricket is quick to learn and in the match against Sri Lanka he first fought and then unleashed his big shots — nine fours and three sixes.

His second fifty came in 20 balls — his whole innings lasted only 91 — the fastest of those three hundreds. Heavens above, he is a player to remember, perhaps England's greatest although he is still only 26, even if the wise old sages are waiting for a failure or two, as they do.

It is not far from the Itchen Valley, where the Rose Bowl is now growing in the short, wide, flat vale surrounded by trees — and so the prettiest big ground in England — that 1,000 years ago Canute, the Danish king, also accepted the English crown and then put sycophantic courtiers in their place by demonstrating that, whatever they said, he could not turn back the tide.

Flintoff looks not unlike the story book pictures of my childhood in which Canute, sitting on his throne at the water's edge, is getting his feet wet.

Flintoff's innings, and England's victory by 49 runs after rain meant Mr. Duckworth and Mr. Lewis's calculations had to be done, put England in the semifinal against the mighty Australians, who know the value of a few sharp blows with the axe as well as any Saxon warrior defending his land against the Vikings. This encounter will provide his greatest test but as Bobby Simpson, the former Australian coach, has revealed in The Sportstar recently, he has his admirers among those tough, unsentimental cricketers, for whom praising a `Pom' is tantamount to sleeping with the enemy. Simpson was Lancashire's coach when Flintoff first emerged and recognised his talent immediately.

He says the Australians will try Flintoff to the limit in the Ashes next summer; now Flintoff has an early chance to prove his mettle against the finest team on the planet. How he performs on Tuesday will determine the fate of the ICC Champions Trophy and in his present form you have to believe it is going England's way, to the considerable surprise of those of us who bemoaned their performances in the tri series against New Zealand and West Indies earlier this year.

The rain, after 24 overs of Sri Lanka's reply to England's 251 — 100 off the last ten overs — meant that so far in this tournament only the Aussie victory over New Zealand has been a true fought contest.

A thought for Sri Lanka

It was difficult not to feel sympathy for the Sri Lankans who saw the sun die in the sky, the clouds roll over the hill and the rain fall and must have know when they began their innings that they were never going to have the chance to construct a proper reply.

Blame the weather, blame the time of year, blame the pitches, if you will. But let us be thankful that the championship has been rescued for viewers and watchers by an outstanding athlete: an obviously great attacking batsman, a fine defensive bowler and one of the all-time super catchers.

The phrase all-rounder hardly does him credit and, as Simpson suggests, there is still time for him to lead England at one-day level, if Michael Vaughan fails to score a few more runs or at least bat until his form returns.

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