The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : `Honeymoon reaches an abrupt end for Flintoff'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 05, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

`Honeymoon reaches an abrupt end for Flintoff'

London: Andrew Flintoff was struggling with the burden of carrying England's hopes on his shoulders and the 49-run loss in the third ODI was a sign of the India tour coming apart at the seams, the British media said on Tuesday.

Media reports said the third Test win, which helped the visitor level the series, has become a distant memory and the strains of leading the team in the absence of several key players including skipper Michael Vaughan had "frazzled" Flintoff.

"England's captain Flintoff was wearing an increasingly haunted look after his side went 3-0 down in a series that is beginning to feel like men against boys," said The Guardian.

Many reasons

Under a caption `England's Atlas starts to buckle under burden', The Daily Telegraph wrote: "There are many reasons to be concerned about England's one-day side, which slumped to another heavy defeat (at Margao) on Monday.

"The biggest worry of all must be Flintoff. While other senior players rest at home, England's Atlas is carrying this arduous tour on his shoulders."

Under a banner headline "Honeymoon reaches an abrupt end for Flintoff," The Times said "there is huge expectation on Flintoff as batsman, bowler and captain and he will need to draw on all of his charisma and presence to stop the tour from falling apart between now and the final match on Saturday."

The Daily Telegraph said: "The man in the middle (Flintoff) was lacking his usual joie de vivre. When he took a wicket, he winced. When he lost his own — going down on one knee for a slog to deep midwicket — he held the pose, then put a hand up to cover his face. His anguish was painful to see." The newspapers said the sequence of defeats had put a big question mark over England's World Cup chances.

In keeping with a series that is ruling individuals out of World Cup contention rather than pencilling them in, Sajid Mahmood, playing in his second ODI almost two years after his first, leaked 66 in eight overs, the media observed.

Sparing a few blushes

Collingwood (who scored 93) spared a few blushes, but such crumbs of comfort were merely a reminder that England's one-day form is more famine than feast, they said.

The reports also heaped praise on Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina who featured in a 142-run stand, the former belting a 76-ball 103 and the latter notching up his second successive half-century.

"Yuvraj is in the best form of his life. Greg Chappell, the coach, felt that he was in danger of becoming a lost talent, but this hundred was his fifth in 25 one-day games", the report said.

"Raina, meanwhile, showed that his strokeplay in Faridabad was no fluke. The one question over him will be his ability against the short ball, but only because there is no way of passing judgment on low, slow pitches", it added. — PTI

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