Sport - Cricket

Flintoff deserves another shot at captaincy: Fletcher

London: Andrew Flintoff’s drinking binges may have let him down on several occasions but former England coach Duncan Fletcher feels the all-rounder’s past should not come in the way of him becoming captain once again.

Fletcher, who revealed that Flintoff once turned up sloshed for a practice session during the Ashes in his autobiography, said the flamboyant cricketer deserves another shot at leading the English team despite his drinking problems in the past.

“I don’t think there is any reason why it should be held against him. There are a lot of factors at picking a captain. If a situation arises where there is no one else then you have got to really look at Andrew,” Fletcher told BBC in an interview.

Fletcher said Flintoff still has a long way to go before mastering the nuances of captaincy but has the potential to be a great leader.

“He needs some experience. He is a very inexperienced captain in cricket, let alone Test cricket. But as long as he has learned from his mistakes, why hold it against him?”

Flintoff has so far chosen to remain mum on the revelations made in Fletcher’s book but his father, Colin, recently said the 29-year-old was deeply hurt by his ex-coach’s statements.

Fletcher, however, remains unfazed by the criticism and wants to speak to Flintoff.

“I think it is important that Andrew rings me. If Andrew phones me we will have a discussion and clear the air, put both sides of the story across. There are certain things that I can’t disclose. It would be important that he phones me,” he said. — PTI

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