England cricket legend Andrew Flintoff has been appointed as the head coach of the Northern Superchargers’ men’s team in The Hundred, said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday.
Flintoff, 45, is renowned as one of England’s greatest ever players, especially leading the charge for the team in 2005 Ashes, taking24 wickets and making 402 runs. The fast-bowling all-rounder played over 200 times for his country and was also the side’s Test captain. Since retiring from cricket in 2009 he worked as a television host – including as part of The Hundred team in 2021.
He survived a nasty car crash suffered last December while filming the BBC show Top Gear, which he co-hosted. With injuries still visible on his face, Flintoff has made his way back to cricket by working as a consultant coach with the England Men’s team in their white-ball series against New Zealand and Ireland in September this year.
Flintoff will take on his first Head Coach role through the competition in August, looking to inspire his new side to success in the fourth year of The Hundred.He takes over from former England wicketkeeper James Foster, who moved on from the role after two years, especially after the Superchargers finished last in their most recent Hundred campaign.
“I am excited to have been appointed Head Coach of the Northern Superchargers men’s team. Big thanks to Kirsty and Marcus for trusting me with the team. My time with the England Men’s team has been a reminder of just how special cricket is to me.”
“And I’m relishing the opportunity to be back amongst it, helping to guide the Superchargers team to success on the field while making memories off it and helping to take cricket to more people. The Superchargers have a great fan base who I cannot wait to meet and bring along with us this season. I’m looking forward to making Headingley my new home,” said Flintoff in a statement.
Flintoff is currently working with the second-string England Lions for a camp in Abu Dhabi, before linking up with the white-ball team on the tour of West Indies next month. He also worked with the England Men’s U19 team at Loughborough, with him being helped in consultancy roles by his good friend Rob Key, who is England Men’s managing director.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the Northern Superchargers family. He is an inspirational figure who has huge respect across the game of cricket and he is someone we know will excite our players, coaches, and our fans.”
“Andrew will help us to create a unique culture and we are extremely excited about working with him to inspire our squad further with positive, entertaining and consistently winning cricket,” said Kirsty Bashforth, Northern Superchargers Chair.
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