THE retirement of Andrew Flintoff from Test cricket has placed him back on Queensland's radar for this summer's Twenty20 Big Bash and, according to global players' union boss Tim May, reinforces the need to reduce the burden on international players or risk losing them to lucrative leagues.
Queensland, which almost signed Flintoff last season, is in negotiations with another international star but Bulls sources reported yesterday that the champion allrounder's sudden availability had made him an attractive option, should those plans fall through.
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England's Andrew Flintoff (R) is checked by doctor Nick Peirce during a training session prior to the second Ashes test .
REUTERS |
Until this week, Flintoff was expected to be on England duty in South Africa for all but the very end of Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition, but now that he is becoming a short-form specialist, the 31-year-old will be available for the whole tournament.
Flintoff's connections in Queensland include his former Lancashire teammates Stuart Law and Andrew Symonds, with Symonds yet to decide whether he wants to play Twenty20 for his home state after his Cricket Australia contract was torn up.
Queensland coach Trevor Barsby has arrived in London to work as an assistant to Australian coach Tim Nielsen for part of the Ashes tour, and can meet potential Bulls signings while he is in England.
Flintoff will continue to play one-day internationals and Twenty20 for England, and to represent Chennai in the Indian Premier League, in which he and Kevin Pietersen are the most expensive players at US$1.55 million each.
May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers Associations, said Flintoff's decision to quit Test cricket reflected the changing priorities of international cricketers. "Players value playing for their countries, but like anything there is a law of diminishing returns, and a lot of them who have been on the road, away from their families for a long time, something at the end of the day has to give," he said.
"We're seeing more and more players opting out of international cricket in one form or other in preference to keeping their bodies in shape for the IPL. For the first time, players are getting what they are worth in the market place and they will go where their services are valued the most.
"We have to reduce the burden of international cricket such that the players are able to play both international cricket and the IPL in any given year and keep their bodies in as good a shape as possible."
England's players are especially pressed because their home season coincides with the IPL, but they were released for a three-week stint this year from which both Flintoff and Pietersen returned with injuries. Flintoff tore the meniscus in his right knee and it was a flare up of this injury before the second Test, which started at Lord's last night, that prompted him to announce this Ashes series would be his Test swansong.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram recently said the physical demands on all-rounders were unsustainable in the modern game and Flintoff did not disagree with him after four rounds of ankle surgery, among numerous other injuries.
"There are a lot of competitions around the world, but I'm not going to grumble about too much cricket, it's something I'm fortunate to play," Flintoff said. "We may see players' careers get shorter, but so be it. It's a busy schedule ahead of us, and it's going to be taxing on a lot of bowlers.
"There's enthusiasm to go on in one-day cricket, but there's sadness that I've finally had to give up in Test cricket in regards to my body. Nothing can fill you with as much excitement as an Ashes series — it's on a different level to any other competition you play in. But I enjoy the shorter form, and I want to be the best I possibly can be, and focus all my energies on that."
Flintoff's retirement leaves Jacques Kallis as the last of the genuine all-rounders.
Shane Watson's injury-prone body has allowed him to play only eight Tests in four years.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who opted out of the IPL this season to prepare for the Ashes, also worries about the impact of the relentless schedule.
"There's no doubt we are playing a lot at the moment. Even though these guys are superstar players, maybe when you're in the middle of their glory years you have to make sure you manage them as well as you can and look at the big picture of trying to get an extra couple of years out of their career, rather than grinding them into the ground too soon."
England captain Andrew Strauss said Flintoff was a unique case.
"We've seen Glenn McGrath go on to 37, and Shaun Pollock went on for a long time as well.
"But it's a little bit more specific to Andrew Flintoff, the way he bowls and the pressure he puts on his body.
"There is a lot of cricket being played these days, as there has been for the last 10 years or so, and managing those workloads is difficult."
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