Former England off-spinner John Emburey has got a message for the cynics who feel the Indian Premier League has prompted injury-prone Flintoff to retire from Test cricket
Former England off-spinner John Emburey has got a message for the cynics who feel the Indian Premier League has prompted injury-prone Flintoff to retire from Test cricket
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There is a strong view among the cynics of Indian Premier League that Andrew Flintoff should have continued to play Test cricket and instead retired from the limited overs game. But, former England captain and off-spinner John Emburey said Twenty20 cricket has been a boon for Flintoff.
Emburey, who coached Flintoff in the England 'A' team, said the injury-prone player who was signed by the Chennai Super Kings for a whopping $1.55 million ahead of the second IPL edition had no option but to retire from Test cricket. And, having a big contract in the IPL has helped Flintoff make the right decision.
"I am not surprised by Flintoff's decision. He has had a lot of injuries and he is paying for the level of commitment he played Test cricket with. Physically he is struggling and he if continues playing Test cricket it would be detrimental to his performance and health. England will be weaker without him, there is no ready replacement but it's all about the health of the individual," Emburey told MiD DAY.
"One-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket doesn't have the kind of physical impact that Test cricket has. In Tests, he would be bowling 25 overs a day and with the amount of commitment he played with, it would take a heavy toll on his body. Bowling four overs in T20 or 10 overs in ODIs in two-three spells will not affect him much.
"Having a good IPL contract probably has helped him (arrive at this decision). T20 has been very lucrative financially and it gives him the opportunity to keep playing cricket at that level," said Emburey.
"He will be the first (English) non-contracted professional to go around playing T20 in various leagues all over world, like India, Australia and South Africa."
Difficult decision
Former India wicket-keeper batsman, Farokh Engineer, who knows Flintoff well as they are from the same county team Lancashire, also felt that having an IPL contract helped the all-rounder arrive at the difficult decision.
"Having an IPL contract helped him make the decision. His finances are secured here. Let's back him if he's taken the right decision," the Lancashire-based Engineer said.
"I spoke to Freddie this morning and it was on his mind for sometime; he is very much looking to play in the IPL.
"Test cricket has taken its toll, but the timing of the announcement surprised me a bit. I thought he would wait till the end of the series."
Meanwhile, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi dismissed suggestions that the IPL was one of the factors that prompted Flintoff to retire.
"IPL has nothing to do with it (Flintoff's decision)," Modi told Cricinfo. "Each player takes his own decision. We would encourage players not to retire from international cricket for IPL. But we are happy that we are able to give them a second life after they retire."
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