Steady Freddie
Flintoff - England expects a lot from him.
In his latest blog, Dave Fulton explains why we should keep our expectations for Andrew Flintoff in check
England have been deprived the talent of Andrew Flintoff for too long. Now he is back, however, it's important that the media, the fans, the England team and, perhaps, Freddie himself keep expectations in check.
The Flintoff legend, which cemented itself in England's sporting consciousness after his heroic Ashes'deeds of 2005, has grown in his absence, while the spectre of his return has loomed ever larger over England's Test incumbents in recent weeks.
Broadcast journalists have been reporting back on his progress from second eleven fixtures, charity matches most likely even his local. If he were a footballer he'd be rivalling Cristiano Ronaldo for column inches.
Flintoff, I'm sure, just wants to get on with playing cricket but still the debate rages about where he should bat and whether he should operate as one of four or five bowlers. The cameras will follow his every move and the commentators won't go five minutes without a reference to him.
My question is simply: why? Why the obsession? Why the continual Freddie-watch? And why not just let him get on with it? At least Darren Pattinson's inclusion took some of the spotlight away from the prodigal son at Headingley.
Flintoff's a good down to earth family man with a god-given talent for the game of cricket, a penchant for lager and a curriculum vitae which can boast Aussie-slaying one summer.
He only performed at that level for one or two summers yet the whole nation has since gone Freddie mad and acted as if he is the answer to all our prayers.
I, like the rest of the cricket-loving country, want to see Freddie in an England shirt doing well. But I see Freddie the cricketer not Freddie the cult hero. He has been built up too much and people expect too much.
Freddie might be the best all-rounder we've had since Ian Botham but the statistics suggest he's still some distance from him as a player. He has a similar batting record: 5x100s and 24x50s at an average of 32.41 from 68 Tests compared to Botham's 14x100s, 24x50s at an average of 33.54 from 102 Tests.
Yet his bowling, which is currently considered his strongest suit, does not measure up to Botham's. Flintoff has taken just two five-wicket hauls in those 68 Tests with a best return of 5-58. In first class cricket he has played 169 matches and taken five wickets in an innings on just three occasions with a best of 5-24.
Botham, by contrast, took five wickets in an innings 27 times from his 102 Tests with a best of 8-34, and 59 times in first-class cricket from 402 games. That's a five-wicket haul at a rate of better than one in four Tests for Sir Beefy, while Freddie averages one in 34.
Flintoff is a fine player, who is both talismanic and central to England's cause but to achieve greatness he needs to hit the heights again and stay there. At his best he is two outstanding players in one, capable of run-a-ball hundreds and 90mph reverse-swinging deliveries.
Yet to rediscover his best form he needs to find the mental space to play with freedom and trust his instincts. Hopefully all the furore that surrounds him whenever he steps on to a cricket field will die down and we can enjoy simply watching him play. Just for the moment, though, don't put your mortgage on him working miracles.