Stuart Broad suspected Andrew Flintoff was being rubbed down for the role of England’s head coach after his audition for the role in Northern Superchargers.
England legend Stuart Broad believes Andre Flintoff’s coaching role with Northern Superchargers in the Hundred might serve as an audition for the England Head coach position as he is set to join forces with Ben Stokes in The Hundred.
Flintoff’s Northern Superchargers will kick off their campaign against Trent Rockets on Friday. Stokes is expected to join the Superchargers for four matches after the third test in the West Indies tour of England in 2024.
Flintoff has been considered a potential replacement for the under-pressure Matthew Mott following England’s back-to-back failures in the ICC tournaments.
While speaking about Flintoff’s head coach role “The players I’ve spoken to, when Freddie (Flintoff) has been involved in the coaching stuff, have loved him,” said Broad.
“He’s at that great age where the players he’s now coaching probably saw him as a hero. Hearing him talk about the style of play he envisions is really exciting. We know he has a brilliant cricket brain, he’s a true fan of the game, and he brings a lot of energy.
“The way the cricket community has rallied around Fred after his accident has been incredible and highlights the supportive nature of our sport. It’s heartening to see how the game can embrace one of its stars and help him reconnect with the sport he loves.”
“His role as a coach for The Hundred franchises seems like a step toward building him into a future international coach. Having someone like Freddie Flintoff involved in the game can only inspire the next generation.”
“It’s great that Stokesy will be matching up with Freddie Flintoff,” said Broad. “It’s almost the iconic duo to see walking out, unfortunately, they’re not walking out to play together. Those two minds working together to win games looks quite exciting and brings a bit of intrigue.”
Coming to the tournament, the first match of The Hundred 2024 will be played between Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Invincibles on July 23 at Kennington Oval.