Andrew Flintoff rejects England contract
September 20, 2009
The man so long referred to as England’s talisman, has turned down the offer of an incremental contract with the national side in favour of seeing out the rest of his career as a freelance cricketer.
When he returns from injury, Flintoff will appear for Lancashire; IPL side, Chennai Super Kings; and England - if selected. His agent, Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler adds that there may also be additional contracts for Twenty20 sides around the world.
It is thought that the combined salaries from these various domestic sides would outweigh earnings from the England contract that was on offer, although, England wouldn’t actually have any say over where and when Flintoff would play under such a deal, so the decision is slightly odd.
One possible and unexpected explanation comes from Chandler, who says that the England deal contained a clause forbidding participation in extreme sports. He says that Flintoff is considering participating in a TV show in which he may do some bungee jumping.
The upshot of Flintoff’s new freelance status is that technically speaking he can pick and choose what matches he wishes to play for England, perhaps spurning England’s cricket tour of Bangladesh later in the year, for example. The reality, however, is that such behaviour would not be tolerated by England team director, Andy Flower, who has long considered Flintoff’s presence in a side merely a bonus and who would have no qualms about leaving him out of the team, if he felt the all-rounder was not fully committed.
