UPDATE 11.04AM

BBC News confirms that Flintoff is to retire - Flintoff in post-Ashes Test exit

UPDATE 11.01AM

Both Jonathan Agnew and Alison Mitchell are saying on Twitter that the news is confirmed and that Freddie Flintoff will be retiring from Test cricket after this series.

Confirmed. Flintoff retires from Tests after this series. Still avail for ODIs. “My body says its time to stop”
Jonathan Agnew

Hot off the press and confirmed - Flintoff will retire from Test cricket after the Ashes
Alison Mitchell - BBC TMS

POST PUBLISHED 10.54AM

Early indications are that Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff is to announce his retirement from Test cricket after this Ashes series. A press conference is due to be held at 12.30pm today to confirm this news but Twitter is ablaze this morning with speculation.

Expecting confirmation at 11 that Flintoff is retiring from Tests after this series. Not surprising to be honest.
Jonathan Agnew

Apparently players were in a huddle on nursery ground earlier, then handshakes all round with Fred…
Alison Mitchell - TMS

You have to say that, if true, and Flintoff really is retiring from Test cricket that it’s no great surprise. With his history of injuries and the pressure put on the body playing the five day game, it was looking unlikely that he’d carry on for much longer anyway although I’m surprised at the timing of the announcement.

If it is true and Flintoff is to retire from Test cricket then I hope the ECB take a long hard look at themselves and the ridiculously congested international fixture list they have conspired to produce. Test cricket is dying on it’s arse and by shoehorning in as many meaningless ODI’s and T20 fixtures into the calendar year, they’re putting undue pressure on their players and, as a result, one of their few box office attractions in the five day game is about to call it a day.

Tags: andrew flintoff, england cricket, the ashes

What’s the first thing you think of when someone mentions Geoffrey Boycott? Is it a solid opening batsman? Is it the hat he constantly wears? Or is it the moaning cricket pundit from Yorkshire?

Personally, considering I don’t remember much about Boycott as a player, I always think of the latter. Whenever I think of Boycott, I hear his voice whining on about the various ways in which England have gone wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, Boycott knows his cricket. He knows what it takes to win a Test match, he knows what makes a good Test captain and he knows the type of mentality that an opening batsman needs. However, he puts all of this across in an increasingly negative manner.

Where have these views on Boycott sprung from I hear you ask? Well, the former England man has been having his say on the current crop and hasn’t exactly sung their praises.

Speaking about their chances of winning the Ashes, he says that they haven’t got a hope because they are ‘not in great shape’. He also criticised the ‘fiasco’ surrounding Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores that occurred this winter.

As for Andrew Strauss, Boycott isn’t convinced that the England skipper is a ‘natural captain’ because he tends to ‘wait for things to happen’ on the field as opposed to ‘thinking ahead’.

Another thing criticised by Boycott was the fact that England have had far from a settled side in recent months. He particularly highlighted the No.3 spot which has been occupied by Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell, Owais Shah and now Ravi Bopara.

Overall, Boycott doesn’t believe that England are ‘getting the best out of what we’ve got’. The Yorkshireman finished by saying that everyone connected with the England cricket team has ‘shot themselves in the head this winter’.

So, how accurate are Boycott’s comments? Well, he is right about the team not being in the best shape, he is right about the Pietersen/Moores situation being a distraction and he is right that having an unsettled side makes it difficult to prepare for the future.

However, I don’t think that it’s as bad as he makes out. Things can turn around very quickly in cricket and this is what the two Test matches against the West Indies can be used for.

A decent performance from a fresh looking England team in these two games could act as a springboard for a successful summer. Then, hopefully, Strauss and co can go some way to proving Boycott wrong even though, at this stage, he is pretty much bang on the money!

By Thomas Rooney – A sports writer who blogs about England Cricket

Tags: andrew strauss, england cricket, geoffrey boycott

As we approach a crucial summer of international cricket for England, one of the roles in the team still up for grabs is the No.3 batting slot. Nobody has been able to nail down the position and this means that a number of players are keen to impress.

Owais Shah is technically the man in possession of the position having played there for the majority of the West Indies tour. However, he failed to make a big score and looked particularly scratchy when he came in at first wicket down.

At the start of the County season, the spotlight seems to have been on two men in terms of the No.3 batting position. Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell are both desperate to get themselves back in England’s plans and could be battling it out to for fill the role in the first Test of the summer.

Personally, this probably sums up England’s problems. Vaughan hasn’t been in form for what seems like an eternity and Bell wasn’t dropped from the side long ago at all. It seems like a bit of a worry that no one was able to make the position their own in the months that Vaughan has been out of the side.

You just know that had a similar situation occurred with Australia, they would have had someone who came in and perform admirably. If a 34-year-old former captain had been out of the side for a number of months, they probably wouldn’t get the chance to get back in.

Nevertheless, Vaughan still has a chance and so does Bell. So which of the two is in the driving seat? Well, Bell has been in better form for his County. In fact, he has managed two centuries already this summer. Vaughan, did make 43 in Yorkshire’s opening game, but he only has one County Championship game to stake his claim for a place.

If Vaughan doesn’t get runs when Yorkshire visit Durham this week, then he can kiss goodbye to any chance of facing the West Indies next month. I get the feeling that Andrew Strauss would really like Vaughan back in his team and in his dressing room, but he can’t be picked unless he scores runs.

As for Bell, everyone knows that he is an extremely classy player and is probably one of the most talented batsman in the England set-up. However, his mentality could still be a problem. If he comes back will he continue to get out after giving himself a start? Is this what England need when Australia come to town?

In the end, it will probably come down to what the selectors consider to be less risky. Do they risk putting Vaughan in even though he hasn’t scored many runs in the last year or do they risk putting Bell back into a position that he has struggled to cope with of late?

Personally, I’d go for Bell. At least against the West Indies. If he fails against them, then bring in Vaughan for Australia. He may even have found some form by then.

By Thomas Rooney – A sports writer who blogs about cricket betting

Tags: england cricket, ian bell, michael vaughan, the ashes, west indies

I got an email this morning from those lovely chaps at Kitbag telling me that the new England ODI kit is now available to pre-order. I’ve just spent some time mooching around the site and it looks rather good. I’m particularly taken with the new training shirts. Think I may have to break open the piggy bank to buy one of those bad boys.

However I have to say this. No matter how nice the new adidas kit is and no matter what spiffing deals Kitbag are offering, we have to be honest here.

Giving England a new ODI kit is like putting lipstick on a pig. It doesn’t matter how pretty the pig looks, it’s still a pig.

England are currently ranked 6th in the ODI tables. They say figures never lie. Well I have news for you. They do. I don’t know how they work out the ICC rankings but as anyone who has seen England play ODI cricket over the last few years will tell you, we’re shit.

The good news is that we’re now going to look really smart whilst being shit.

Tags: england cricket, one day international

It came as quite a surprise to me that Andrew Strauss was left out of England’s provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

After his more than acceptable performances in the ODI games against the West Indies in recent weeks, I thought he had done enough. Especially when you consider how positively he batted when England were chasing 135 in 20 overs during the fourth match of the series.

However, it appears that the England selectors were unconvinced that he had a future in the limited overs game and decided to go without him for this tournament. It means that his future in the 50-over game also has to be in doubt.

Another result of this decision is that England will have split captaincy this summer. Not ideal in my opinion. It is how it is though, so who are the candidates to take charge of the England Twenty20 World Cup side this summer?

Kevin Pietersen – This would be an interesting move wouldn’t it? Less than a year after controversially resigning, KP could be back in charge as England hosts a World Twenty20 tournament. It could happen, but I think the selectors will think carefully about this one.

Paul Collingwood – Colly stepped down from the ODI captaincy when Michael Vaughan resigned from the Test role. Personally, I don’t think he would take this position even if offered it.

Andrew Flintoff – I hope the selectors steer well clear of even considering appointing Flintoff. He needs to be left to play his cricket and be England’s most dangerous and influential bowler.

Rob Key – Should the position just be a temporary measure, then the Kent skipper could fit the role perfectly. He is highly rated as a captain and knows this form of the game better than most. Is he good enough to be in the team though?

Shaun Udal – The 40-year-old will be delighted he is even in the squad. Having led Middlesex to Twenty20 success last year, the selectors may well consider him for a more senior role in the England team. Unlikely, but you never know.

So, these are the five candidates. The two front-runners, in my opinion, are Pietersen and Key. Should the selectors feel the timing is right to hand KP the role, then he is the obvious choice.

Should they feel they need to wait a while before handing him the captaincy again, Key could be handed the responsibility. A decision is expected to be made when a new team director is appointed.

Guest Post by Thomas Rooney

Tags: andrew flintoff, andrew strauss, england cricket, icc world twenty20, kevin pietersen, paul collingwood, rob key, shaun udal