The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Atherton criticises Flintoff's style

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Atherton criticises Flintoff's style

London: Former England captain Mike Atherton believes Andrew Flintoff's latest injury will turn out to be a blessing in disguise if it stops him from becoming England's full-time skipper.

Blaming the laidback style of Flintoff's captaincy for the disappointing 1-1 draw with Sri Lanka in the recent Test series, Atherton says the team was missing the ``ruthlessness'' of Michael Vaughan.

``The only positive benefit of the injury to Flintoff may be the end of his immediate captaincy ambitions. What England needed in the aftermath of the Ashes was somebody to focus minds and crack heads together, but Flintoff is an amiable man and his style of captaincy reflected that: England missed Vaughan's ruthlessness,'' he told `The Mirror'.

Flintoff's captaincy stint came to a halt when he was ruled out for a month after the 134-run defeat to Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge because of a sore left ankle.

And Atherton was pleased that England's great allrounder has had the burden of leadership lifted from his shoulders. — PTI

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