74 Facts About Andrew Flintoff

1.

Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff was born on 6 December 1977 and is an English television and radio presenter and former international cricketer.

2.

Andrew Flintoff was consistently rated by the ICC as being among the top international all-rounders in both ODI and Test cricket.

3.

Andrew Flintoff later served as both captain and vice-captain of the team.

4.

Andrew Flintoff retired from Test cricket at the end of the 2009 Ashes series, and from other forms of the game in 2010.

5.

Andrew Flintoff then had one professional boxing fight on 30 November 2012 in Manchester, beating American Richard Dawson on a points decision.

6.

Andrew Flintoff became a presenter of the BBC One show Top Gear in 2019.

7.

Andrew Flintoff's father, Colin, was a plumber and factory maintenance worker and the captain of Dutton Forshaw second XI cricket team.

8.

Andrew Flintoff attended Greenlands Community Primary School and Ribbleton Hall High School.

9.

Andrew Flintoff then played for two and a half years in the England under-19 cricket team.

10.

Andrew Flintoff made his Test match debut for England in 1998 against South Africa at Trent Bridge, in a match remembered for its second-innings duel between Mike Atherton and Allan Donald; in a precursor to their subsequent rivalry, Flintoff and Jacques Kallis exchanged wickets.

11.

Andrew Flintoff briefly returned home from the tour to see his son for the first time.

12.

Andrew Flintoff managed all this despite a shoulder injury early in the second innings.

13.

Andrew Flintoff was named 'Man of the Match' and captain Michael Vaughan subsequently dubbed the match "Fred's Test" in honour of his achievement.

14.

Andrew Flintoff scored a century during England's crucial win at Trent Bridge.

15.

Andrew Flintoff took five wickets on the fourth day of the final Test match, enabling England to go off for bad light and helping them eventually to secure a draw and regain the Ashes.

16.

Andrew Flintoff was awarded the Freedom of the City of Preston.

17.

In October 2005, Andrew Flintoff shared the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC player of the year award with Jacques Kallis of South Africa.

18.

In December 2005, Andrew Flintoff was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2005, the first cricketer since Botham in 1981.

19.

In January 2006, Andrew Flintoff was presented with the Freedom of the City award for Preston, Lancashire.

20.

In February 2006 following England captain Michael Vaughan and vice-captain Marcus Trescothick becoming unavailable for the first Test match against India, Andrew Flintoff was named captain of the England team and subsequently announced that he would be staying in India for the entire Test series, although he and his wife were expecting their second child.

21.

Andrew Flintoff amassed four fifties in the series, and took 11 wickets, on unfriendly surfaces for seamers.

22.

Andrew Flintoff continued to captain England during the seven ODIs in India, although he was rested for two matches.

23.

Andrew Flintoff was thus ruled out for the entire series against Pakistan.

24.

The series turned out to be a humiliating one for Andrew Flintoff, leading his side to five straight losses and thus losing the Ashes after having held them for the shortest time in history.

25.

Andrew Flintoff played in only one first-class game in the lead up to the series.

26.

Andrew Flintoff was initially undone by Australia's excellent seam bowling but his batting improved throughout the series as he got more match practice.

27.

Andrew Flintoff contributed significantly with the ball in both matches, taking three wickets in the first match and allowing only 10 runs off five overs in the second as Australia chased a reduced total in a rain-hit match.

28.

Andrew Flintoff did take a one-handed catch at slip to dismiss Ross Taylor for a duck.

29.

Andrew Flintoff has since issued a public apology, and later clarified that he didn't actually "fall off" a pedalo, but rather failed in an attempt to board one.

30.

Andrew Flintoff returned to the England team for the last group match against Kenya, taking two wickets.

31.

Andrew Flintoff returned for a couple of games with Lancashire, in preparation for the West Indies tour of England but he re-injured his ankle and was ruled out for the first Test which started on 17 May 2007.

32.

Andrew Flintoff bowled seven overs and ended with figures of one for twelve in England's 104-run victory.

33.

Andrew Flintoff hit an eventful nine runs during the second ODI; however, while fielding, he injured his knee and sat out England's 42-run victory in the third ODI.

34.

Andrew Flintoff was back in action for Lancashire early in the 2008 season, but a side strain ruled him out of contention for the home series against New Zealand.

35.

Andrew Flintoff took his 200th Test wicket in the Third Test, trapping Neil McKenzie lbw for 72.

36.

Andrew Flintoff bowled consistently against the South Africans, but South African coach Mickey Arthur felt that he was too defensive.

37.

Andrew Flintoff's batting began to show promise as he consistently made starts, before being moved back up to bat at six when Kevin Pietersen took over as captain.

38.

Andrew Flintoff won Man of the Series in the ODI home series against South Africa, where England won four-nil: the last match was washed out.

39.

Andrew Flintoff was both the top run-scorer and the top wicket-taker of that series.

40.

On England's tour of India, Andrew Flintoff started the series well.

41.

Andrew Flintoff's batting did not follow with similar successes in India and the West Indies, but his bowling remained strong, with a dozen wickets in the Caribbean at under 30 apiece, followed by a hat-trick in the final ODI series, becoming only the third English bowler ever to do so.

42.

Andrew Flintoff collected a half-century against Hampshire, although he was still yet to register a century in either domestic cricket or any form of the international game since that Trent Bridge instalment of the last home Ashes in 2005, which year accounted for his most recent Test five-for.

43.

On 15 July 2009, Andrew Flintoff announced he would retire from Test cricket at the end of the 2009 Ashes Series.

44.

On 16 September 2010, Andrew Flintoff retired from all forms of professional cricket, having consulted medical advisers.

45.

Andrew Flintoff continued to play recreationally for Penwortham Cricket Club alongside his brother Chris Flintoff.

46.

Andrew Flintoff came out of retirement in May 2014, returning to Lancashire to play Twenty20 only.

47.

Andrew Flintoff featured in the final of the competition, dismissing Ian Bell with the ball and hitting two sixes in the penultimate over as Lancashire fell just short against Birmingham Bears.

48.

Andrew Flintoff disappointed on the field, ending the season with a high score of 46, with only one other score in double figures, along with three wickets at an average of 45.33.

49.

Andrew Flintoff had an on-field microphone for most matches and memorably sang In the Ghetto by Elvis Presley during one game while on air.

50.

In March 2010, Andrew Flintoff became a team captain on the Sky One television sports panel show A League of Their Own, hosted by James Corden.

51.

In December 2010, Andrew Flintoff became a guest commentator during a number of matches in the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship event.

52.

Andrew Flintoff returned to commentary during the 2012 World Matchplay, where he called Michael van Gerwen's nine dart finish against Steve Beaton.

53.

Andrew Flintoff produced a documentary entitled Freddie Andrew Flintoff: Hidden Side of Sport, about his and other sports stars' suffering of clinical depression.

54.

Andrew Flintoff was a judge on the ITV talent show Let's Get Gold in 2012.

55.

In 2014, Andrew Flintoff made a cameo appearance in Sky TV series, Trollied.

56.

On 15 February 2015, Andrew Flintoff entered the first Australian series of I'm a Celebrity.

57.

Andrew Flintoff was a commentator for Network Ten's Big Bash League coverage and appeared as a regular panellist on their current affairs show The Project.

58.

In 2014, Andrew Flintoff started the Sky One TV series Andrew Flintoff: Lord of the Fries, touring around the UK exploring the places, people and food with co-host Rob Penn.

59.

Andrew Flintoff is a co-host for Australian Ninja Warrior, which first aired on the Nine Network in July 2017.

60.

In September 2017, Andrew Flintoff was the main presenter for Cannonball on ITV with Frankie Bridge, Radzi Chinyanganya, Ryan Hand and Maya Jama as poolside reporters.

61.

In November 2017, Andrew Flintoff made his musical theatre debut as Kevin Mergatroyd in Kay Mellor's Fat Friends The Musical in Leeds before touring the UK in early 2018.

62.

Andrew Flintoff hosted All Star Musicals for ITV in December 2017.

63.

In October 2018, it was announced that Andrew Flintoff would be the new host of Top Gear alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.

64.

On 11 February 2019, it was reported that Andrew Flintoff had crashed into a market stall in Mansfield while filming for the show.

65.

Andrew Flintoff was involved in a second accident when filming on 13 December 2022, at the Dunsfold Park Aerodome.

66.

Andrew Flintoff was airlifted to hospital after the second accident.

67.

Andrew Flintoff married Rachael Wools in March 2005 at Knightsbridge, London.

68.

Andrew Flintoff has the names of his wife and children tattooed on his left shoulder.

69.

In 2011, Andrew Flintoff was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Preston-based Myerscough College.

70.

Andrew Flintoff's career has been subject of a number of TV films and documentaries.

71.

In Freddie Andrew Flintoff: Hidden Side of Sport broadcast on the BBC One in 2012, he talks candidly in moving interviews with Steve Harmison, Vinnie Jones and Ricky Hatton and others about the serious effects of depression.

72.

Andrew Flintoff confronts his own issues as captain of England under pressure and under fire at the top of his game.

73.

In 2020, Andrew Flintoff presented a documentary that aired on the BBC One called Freddie Andrew Flintoff: Living With Bulimia.

74.

Andrew Flintoff has suffered with bulimia for over 20 years, since he was 20 years old.