Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has ended talkSPORT’s long search for a decent cricketer by signing up for the Breakfast show (sorry Goughie, we love you really).
On Monday, the England legend will make his talkSPORT debut alongside Laura Woods, bringing more sporting fun to your mornings than ever before.
Fear not, we’ve included plenty of coffee in the contract, and we’ll probably throw in a hairbrush following his unveiling clip…
Freddie Flintoff looks ahead to 6am starts on talkSPORT Breakfast
Since retirement in 2010, Freddie has continued to be one of the nation’s favourite sporting personalities due to his easy-going nature and jovial character.
You’d be forgiven for considering him more of a celebrity than a former cricketer. After all, he features in TV shows alongside James Corden and won the Australian version of I’m a Celeb.
But how could we forget the cricketer who captured the nations hearts in the noughties? In a career filled with brilliance, success, and fun at all times – here are Flintoff’s top five cricketing moments.
5. ‘Mind the windows, Tino’
Before we get into the moments of sporting brilliance, we can’t move on without showing that clip with Tino Best.
Freddie was one of the game’s great sledgers and had a knack for getting inside an opponent’s head.
Perhaps his most iconic moment of sledging came during a Test match against the West Indies at Lord’s, with former West Indian fast bowler Tino Best on strike.
In a swipe at the paceman’s defensive approach, Freddie crept up behind him from the slips and said, ‘Mind the windows, Tino’.
Determined to shut him up, Best comes charging down the track to try and knock Ashley Giles into the pavilion.
But he misses the ball entirely and returns to his crease not only to find his stumps in a mess, but to see Freddie laughing with delight.
However, it didn’t always go like that for Flintoff.
Last Wednesday, he told us a hilarious story about trying to hit back at one of the fastest bowlers of all time – Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar.
Freddie Flintoff regrets sledging with pace legend Shoaib Akhtar
4. Wild celebrations on Downing Street
One more before we get to the actual cricket.
What would you do if you helped England win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years? Probably go on a massive bender.
And nothing was going to stop Freddie from doing exactly that in 2005, not even a public bus parade or a meeting with the Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen.
Maybe the average person wouldn’t have nicked a pedalo from St Lucia harbour during a World Cup, and Flintoff might not be putting these episodes in his personal highlights real.
But it was those moments which the average person related to most – and it’s what made us all fall in love with the big man.
Expect to hear more wild tales during his time with us on the airwaves.
3. 2009 Ashes
Our minds automatically transport us back to 2005 at the first mention of Flintoff, but he was awesome in the 2009 series, too.
Freddie only dealt in big moments and they didn’t come much bigger than this.
On the eve of the second Test at Lord’s, Flintoff announced he would be retiring from Test cricket at the end of the series.
But he was never going to leave quietly. Freddie took his first-ever five-wicket haul at the Home of Cricket, helping England beat Australia at Lord’s for the first time in 75 years, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series – which they eventually won 2-1 to regain the urn.
Howzat for a sign off?
2. Consoling Brett Lee
One of cricket’s most iconic images – and it perfectly captures what Freddie is all about.
As England sealed probably the most dramatic victory in Test match history at Edgbaston in 2005, Flintoff did not wheel away with his teammates.
Instead, he went straight over to Brett Lee, whose courageous knock was rendered meaningless by Michael Kasprowicz’s dismissal.
In a moment when cricket found itself at the forefront of the nation’s consciousness and on the front pages of our newspapers, Freddie gave us all a lesson in sportsmanship and goodness.
1. That over against Ponting
The second Test of the 2005 Ashes series was actually my own personal introduction to cricket.
And to tell you the truth, I’ve just been disappointed ever since. Turns out, it’s not always like that. It’ll probably never be like that ever again.
Flintoff was England’s top performer with both bat and ball, hitting half centuries in both innings and taking eight wickets in the match.
His display will forever be immortalised by seven balls in the second innings.
With Australia cruising at 47-0 in their pursuit of 282, Michael Vaughan called on Flintoff in the 13th over.
Justin Langer chopped his second ball onto the stumps, sending Ricky Ponting to the crease.
The Australia legend probably posed the biggest threat to England, but Flintoff made sure he didn’t stick around for long.
He bowled what many consider to be the greatest over ever, in front of a raucous Edgbaston crowd, and finally got Ponting with his final ball.
This was Freddie at the peak of his powers, and there weren’t many better.
