Andrew Flintoff always had a burning desire to get back into cricket and is keen to continue coaching after his maiden role with Northern Superchargers this summer.
Flintoff made a surprise but extremely well-received return to the sport last year following a horror crash while he filmed for the BBC show Top Gear at the end of 2022.
It was Flintoff’s first step back into the public eye since he suffered facial injuries and he has become increasingly involved with England’s white-ball set-up, which has led to him being speculated as a candidate to replace the recently-departed Matthew Mott.
A lack of experience will likely rule Flintoff out this time, but this year’s Hundred competition has seen the 46-year-old begin his professional coaching journey with Headingley-based Superchargers.
Prior to his 2022 crash, Flintoff had been better known over the past decade for his entertainment career rather than his previous talismanic status in an England shirt, but he admitted his ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’ series has been the perfect introduction back into his first love.
Speaking at a recent question and answer session attended by the PA news agency for the screening of series two of his BBC show, where he takes a young team on tour to India, Flintoff said: “I always wanted to do something in cricket and I was never quite sure what it was.
“I have dabbled a little bit, I’ve done a bit of commentary, which I didn’t particularly like and it’s not really me. I have always had an ambition to coach but I’m not quite sure my route to doing that, or who I’d coach and let’s be honest, who’d have me?
“I’ve always wanted to get back. I probably shouldn’t say it in this room, but I fell into the TV trap didn’t I? I was doing TV for this, that and the other.
“Now moving forward, obviously I would love to do more coaching. I don’t know in what entity or where. I am quite open-minded about it all and then a little bit of TV as well, carrying on with this.
“Yeah, it has been a nice shift and this has been the perfect introduction back into it, into coaching and cricket.”
Series one of Flintoff’s documentary, which was aired by BBC two years ago, showed the former England captain mould a group of unlikely teenagers from his hometown of Preston into a cricket team.
Flintoff’s idea for series two was to take the squad on tour to India, but those plans were put on hold after his high-profile crash at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
However, Flintoff admitted when they did start to film again, it helped restore his confidence.
“I mentioned in the scene in the kitchen, it was for me just to get back involved. I learnt a lot of things. I learned more about India, I saw more of India. I learnt a bit about coaching as well,” he added.
“Ultimately you are coaching people, you are not coaching players, which is something I’ll take away hopefully into my career and whatever it leads to next.
“I suppose I found a confidence out there again which had been lacking a little bit in recent times.
“I desperately wanted to take them on tour to India. Although it happened a year later than it should have done, I think in some ways, that was a blessing.
“Not the accident! But the lads were a year older and they were an absolute treat. Not all of the time, but most of the time.”
When quizzed about being welcomed back into cricket with open arms after a lengthy period away, Flintoff acknowledged there were still barriers for the sport to break down.
“It is about giving everyone a chance. I love cricket and it is trying to pass that on to other people,” Flintoff said.
“It’s not for everyone, The Hundred, but I think that has done so many good things. You look at the crowd, people that watch it, it’s on free-to-air and not just Sky.
“And you look at the England side as well, led by Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and (Rob) Keysy – obviously it is exciting to watch, but I still think it needs to be more accessible.
“Without this (documentary), these lads wouldn’t have a chance of playing cricket and it is still perceived in some areas as being a posh sport, like I said before, ‘elitist’ and we just need to break that down.”