The 2005 Ashes hero, who played more than 200 times for his country in all formats, will replace James Foster, who was sacked by Superchargers on Friday. While Flintoff has no experience as a head coach, the move is an important milestone in his return to cricket.
Flintoff, 45, has been steadily returning to public life through cricket after an accident last December while filming an episode of Top Gear, with the help of his good friend Rob Key, managing director of England Men’s. Flintoff spent the summer working behind closed doors with England U19 and recently completed an unpaid stint with the ODI team during their series against Ireland. This week he will travel to the United Arab Emirates as part of the coaching team for an England Lions training camp and is expected to tour the Caribbean for England’s white-ball matches against the West Indies in December.
Since retiring in 2010, Flintoff has stepped away from the game and into entertainment, becoming a presenter on BBC’s Top Gear in 2018. He has dabbled in commentary, notably in 2021, when he was part of the season’s broadcast team. inaugural of The Hundred. and he also maintained a connection with the game through his sons Corey and Rocky, who are on the road in the county of Flintoff, Lancashire.
Despite never taking up the head coaching role, Flintoff applied for the England job in 2014 when Trevor Bayliss announced he would be leaving the following year. After sending an email to register his interest, he did not receive a response until a month later, when he followed up on his request, before receiving a phone call from someone at the ECB who he did not realize was authentic.
As Hundred coach, Flintoff’s duties will be limited beyond the competition itself and he will be involved in enforcing rules on player retention and negotiating next year’s draft ahead of the 2024 season. Lancashire bowling coach Kyle Hogg, now county coach and close to Flintoff, takes on the role of assistant coach at Superchargers.
“I am excited to have been named head coach of the Northern Superchargers men’s team,” Flintoff said. “My time with the England men’s team has been a reminder of how special cricket is to me, and I am relishing the opportunity to be back there, helping to guide the Superchargers team to success on the field and making memories off it.” of him. and help bring cricket to more people.
“The Superchargers have a great fan base who I can’t wait to meet and bring with us this season. I’m looking forward to making Headingley my new home.”
Northern Superchargers Chairman Kirsty Bashforth said: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew to the Northern Superchargers family. He is an inspiring figure who is highly respected across the game of cricket and is someone who we know will excite our players, coaches and fans. “Andrew will help us create a unique culture and we are very excited to work with him to further inspire our team with positive, entertaining and consistently winning cricket.”
