London, July 16: With Andrew Flintoff quitting the longest version of the game after the Ashes series, England captain Andrew Strauss believes the talismanic all-rounder will be motivated to give off his best during the remaining four Tests of the current series.
”I still think we’re going to see a lot more cricket from Fred and I also think that if anything he’s going to be more motivated for these last four Test matches – I think he really wants to go out with a bang,” Strauss said.
”In a way he’ll be relieved it’s out there and he can just get on with it. If anything, it takes a bit of pressure off him and he can go out and express himself. I think thats how he plays his best cricket, certainly with the bat. He always bowls pretty much the same way, in a wholehearted fashion,” he added.
Flintoff has been a crucial cog in the England Test squad, but has battled with injuries in the recent past, specially with recurring problems in his right knee. The 31-year-old all-rounder has conceded that his body can no longer cope with the heavy demands of the five-day game, but Strauss is optimistic that Flintoff will reproduce some of the form which saw England win the 2005 Ashes.
”As players we had a feeling this was coming sooner rather than later. With the injuries he has had in recent years, something had to give. And given that Test match bowling puts so much pressure on your body it seems the logical thing to do,” Strauss stated.
”We are sad that he he feels he needs to make that decision at his age but he is doing it to elongate his career on the shorter form of the game and I think we will see a lot more of Fred,” he was quoted as saying by the ‘Daily Express’.
—–Agencies