Flintoff feels 'lucky' to coach Superchargers

Andrew Flintoff played 79 Tests for England

Andrew Flintoff says he is "lucky" to be coaching in The Hundred in his first interview to be broadcast since he was involved in a severe car accident.

The former England all-rounder suffered serious facial injuries while filming the BBC's Top Gear show in December 2022.

He returned to cricket, firstly on the staff for the England white-ball team and now as head coach of Northern Superchargers men.

"Cricket has given me so much," said the 46-year-old. "It's all I ever wanted to do as a kid and I got the opportunity to live my dream.

"And then it led to a lot of things away from the field. Working in TV all those years was essentially because I played cricket, and it's nice to come back into that."

The interview, in which Flintoff does not address the accident or its aftermath, was conducted by England fast bowler Kate Cross and released on The Hundred website.

A second series of his documentary, Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams, will begin on BBC One on 13 August.

That show was filmed either side of Flintoff's accident and is expected to include him publicly addressing the effect of what happened for the first time.

In a clip released on social media earlier this week, Flintoff said: "Something happened which changed my life forever."

Flintoff played 79 Tests for England between 1998 and 2009, including a starring role in the epic Ashes triumph of 2005.

He transitioned into TV presenting at the end of his cricket career and fronted Top Gear from 2019 until the crash three years later.

Filming of Top Gear was halted following Flintoff's accident. In March 2023 the BBC apologised to Flintoff, who agreed in October of the same year a package of compensation, reported by The Sun to be £9m.

In November 2023 the BBC confirmed Top Gear would not return "for the foreseeable future".

In September 2023, Flintoff returned to cricket on the coaching staff of the England white-ball team. He remained part of the set-up through to the T20 World Cup in June, where England were beaten in the semi-finals.

His position with the Superchargers is his first head-coach role in professional cricket.

"I am a little bit nervous but I think it's natural to be because it means you care, doesn't it?" said Flintoff.

"I feel really lucky to be back here and I want the lads to cherish playing. When you finish playing, you look back and it passes so quickly, but you just take time when you're out there, just to have a look around and take it in and live in the moment.

"And that's what I'm doing these days. It's living in the moment and enjoying it. And that's something I want the players to do, and the teams that play under me to do as well."