Image Source- ECB
Marcus Trescothick says he has found encouragement in
watching Andrew Flintoff “grow back into Freddie” while playing for
the limited-overs team and expects to work with him more as a coach in the
future.
As part of his rehabilitation following a near-fatal
accident while recording an episode of Top Gear in December, Flintoff, 45, has
been serving as an unpaid assistant coach for England’s men during their
one-day series against New Zealand and Ireland. Many of the World Cup-bound
players who participated in the New Zealand series grew up idolising him,
especially during the 2005 Ashes, and his presence in the locker room won over
many of them. His stay was extended to include the current series against
Ireland, for which a separate 13-man squad was selected.
After Tuesday’s third ODI in Bristol, which ends the
international summer, there are no immediate plans to continue Flintoff’s
collaboration with the ECB. However, following the last two weeks, both parties
are eager for future engagement to be increased. With the encouragement of Rob
Key, the director of men’s cricket and a longtime friend, Flintoff attended a
few days during the Ashes. Since then, Flintoff has become a more noticeable
presence around England training sessions, taking the mitt to the bowlers and
giving instruction to those who ask for it.
“It’s been hard actually because he hammers me
more than anyone else,” Trescothick said. “I’m the first target for
his banter at the moment, but having him around has been superb, it really has.
“Seeing him grow back into Freddie and getting
back into the cricket…obviously he’s been away from cricket for a long period
of time. But this is where it all starts and where it belongs for him. The guys
have really taken to him.’
“He’s been brilliant. A couple of times he’s
spoken in the changing-room it’s been like, ‘wow’. You can see the difference,
and I’ve seen the progression of him as a character; the way he talks and
delivers messages to players has been superb. To have him sprinkling a bit of
gold dust around the team and having the younger players working with that has
been invaluable, really. You can’t put a price on it.”