Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Flintoff turns down England
Source: Agencies |
September 17, 2009, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ANDREW Flintoff is set to become world cricket's first freelance player after rejecting the offer of a contract with the England national team.
The England and Wales Cricket Board last week offered Flintoff a second-tier incremental contract following his retirement from test matches, but the 31-year-old allrounder has turned it down in favor of traveling the world to play for different teams on short-term deals.
The arrangement will allow Flintoff, who is recovering from knee surgery in Dubai, to decide which England matches he is available for.
"I was flattered to receive the offer of an incremental contract from the ECB, which I wasn't really expecting, but at this stage of my career I don't think I need to be told when to play and when to rest," Flintoff said. "I have played international cricket for 11 years and know my body's capabilities."
Whether England picks him is another matter since the ECB may be irked by what could be seen as a decision motivated by financial considerations. His agent told a national newspaper at the weekend that Flintoff intended to play for as many as six teams on five continents next year, including Twenty20 in the lucrative Indian Premier League.
"I am grateful to the ECB for the all the financial support they have given me to help in my rehabilitation," Flintoff said. "I have moved to Dubai because I believe it will help in that."
Flintoff announced after laboring through England's first Ashes test against Australia that he was quitting test cricket. He said that he still wants to play one-day and Twenty20 matches for England.
"I said when I retired from test cricket that my ambition was to become the best one-day and Twenty20 player in the world and playing in all these different countries can only help," he said.
The England and Wales Cricket Board last week offered Flintoff a second-tier incremental contract following his retirement from test matches, but the 31-year-old allrounder has turned it down in favor of traveling the world to play for different teams on short-term deals.
The arrangement will allow Flintoff, who is recovering from knee surgery in Dubai, to decide which England matches he is available for.
"I was flattered to receive the offer of an incremental contract from the ECB, which I wasn't really expecting, but at this stage of my career I don't think I need to be told when to play and when to rest," Flintoff said. "I have played international cricket for 11 years and know my body's capabilities."
Whether England picks him is another matter since the ECB may be irked by what could be seen as a decision motivated by financial considerations. His agent told a national newspaper at the weekend that Flintoff intended to play for as many as six teams on five continents next year, including Twenty20 in the lucrative Indian Premier League.
"I am grateful to the ECB for the all the financial support they have given me to help in my rehabilitation," Flintoff said. "I have moved to Dubai because I believe it will help in that."
Flintoff announced after laboring through England's first Ashes test against Australia that he was quitting test cricket. He said that he still wants to play one-day and Twenty20 matches for England.
"I said when I retired from test cricket that my ambition was to become the best one-day and Twenty20 player in the world and playing in all these different countries can only help," he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
