London: Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff is to coach his son on next month’s England Lions cricket tour of Australia.
Rocky Flintoff, 16, has been included in England’s second-string side during a tour that will include two four-day matches against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane followed by a ‘Test’ against Australia A in Sydney.
Flintoff junior was a late inclusion in the Lions squad during their training camp in South Africa earlier this month.
An all-rounder, like his father, Rocky made his debut for Lancashire during the summer and has impressed for the England Young Lions.
The 16-strong squad announced Wednesday for the Lions’ tour of Australia also includes five players — Shoaib Bashir, Pat Brown, Tom Hartley, Josh Tongue and John Turner — who have represented England at senior level.
Andrew Flintoff, a star of England’s 2005 Ashers series win over Australia, returned to cricket last year after a horrific car crash while he filmed for the BBC’s Top Gear television programme at the end of 2022.
He became involved with the England white-ball set-up and went on to coach the Northern Superchargers in the English domestic game’s Hundred competition.
Ambition to coach
Having filmed the second series ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’ series, where he introduces young people to the sport, the 47-year-old former England captain told Britain’s PA news agency: “I always wanted to do something in cricket and I was never quite sure what it was.
“I have dabbled a little bit, I’ve done a bit of commentary, which I didn’t particularly like and it’s not really me. I have always had an ambition to coach but I’m not quite sure my route to doing that, or who I’d coach and let’s be honest, who’d have me?”
