ROCKY FLINTOFF has scored a century for England’s second team at the age of just 16 years and 291 days.
The son of former England captain and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff made 108 from 127 balls for England Lions against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane.
GettyRocky Flintoff has been making his own way in professional cricket[/caption]
https://x.com/lancscricketFlintoff, 16, celebrates reaching his first century[/caption]
Flintoff snr is coach of the Lions squad and watched as his lad leapt in the air, removed his helmet, kissed his bat and made an unexplained talking motion with his hand after reaching three figures.
The match does not have first-class status because each team is using more than eleven players.
But most of the Lions’ other batsmen struggled and Flintoff, coming in at No.9, played with freedom and confidence.
Rocky averaged just 12.42 in four first-class matches for Lancashire last summer but scored a century for the county second XI as well as a hundred for England under-19s against Sri Lanka.
He was in South Africa late last year with England under-19s and parachuted into a Lions game against a South Africa XI. He scored just four but was still chosen for this Lions tour of Australia.
Many of his shots are reminiscent of ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and he even runs and moves like his dad. He struck six sixes in his century – most of them pummelled over the legside – although he reached three figures with a controlled guide to third man for two.
Flintoff became the youngest to score a century for England A or the Lions, beating the previous record of 20 years and 28 days held by – yes, you’ve guessed it – Andrew Flintoff against Kenya in Nairobi in 1998.
Flintoff snr has barely spoken in public since returning to cricket on the suggestion of his close friend Rob Key, the England men’s team supremo.
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And he certainly hasn’t talked about his son. But Graeme Swann, on the Lions tour as spin bowling coach, warned the Aussies last week that Rocky is “coming your way for the next 15 or 20 years.”
People close to Lancashire say Rocky is polite and a great team man – as well as being super-talented.
Coming in at 161-7, Flintoff guided the Lions to 319 all out with his second fifty coming from just 45 balls. The Lions secured a first innings lead of 105 runs.
He has surely done enough to secure selection for next week’s one-off ‘Test’ against a strong Australia A team in Sydney.
The tour is part of England’s preparation for next winter’s Ashes series with spinner Shoaib Bashir included to gain experience of Australian conditions.
It might sound far-fetched but picking Flintoff for the trip later this year is the sort of thing that might appeal to head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
Flintoff snr began helping the England senior team in 2023 following his near-fatal car accident while filming for Top Gear.
He combines coaching the Lions with TV work such as Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, in which he mentors youngsters, and hosting a re-launch of Bullseye, the darts-based quiz.
GettyAndrew Flintoff now coaches within the England set-up[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
