When it comes to Andrew Flintoff there have always been contradictions. Once, some years ago, readers of an interview in this newspaper in which he told of how, in pursuit of fitness, he had given up drinking, may have been surprised to read a tabloid story that same morning. It told of how, the night after the interview, he had wandered "tired and emotional" into Manchester's press club, of all places, at three in the morning, unwittingly giving a Daily Express hack his own exclusive.
Earlier this summer his management company issued a release saying he intended to play for Lancashire in the second half of the summer, a line bought and promulgated by some outlets who had not bothered to read further down, where hidden away it also said he had undergone further knee surgery and would be out for another four months.
So it really should have been no surprise that a story this morning, presumably emanating from his management company once more, that he was close to finalising Twenty20 deals with an assortment of teams and franchises around the world, was followed with almost mischievous intent by another press release, this time from Lancashire. It revealed that actually his knee is still a problem and that, never mind the club cricket or second XI games he was supposed to be playing this month, he would need to continue the rehab into the winter before there was even a chance of him playing again.
At least that is Lancashire's take on it. Presumably, as a freelance, he can do what he likes, when it suits, but the idea that he will ever play cricket of any description again does not sound too promising. Certainly, when he left the scene of Oval glory last year and went under the knife, I never thought it would be anything other than the end of the line, no matter his admirable determination to prove otherwise. Why on earth, one could legitimately ask now, would Chennai Super Kings or Queensland Bulls, Northern Knights or whoever, consider signing a 32-year-old with a serially dicky knee who has not even played beach cricket for almost a year?
A better, more realistic take on it would be that any deals in the offing would be totally contingent on him proving his fitness to bat, bowl and field to the highest standards. Anything short of that, no dice. Give us a call when you are playing again, Fred. And let's see the MOT certificate first. It is safe to say that regardless of any ambition on Flintoff's part, he will not play for England again. And if it is that desire that is said to drive him through the hours of rehab then, once again, realistically he and his advisers know full well from whence the bills will be paid in future.
Of course, it is the duty of his management to keep him in the public eye, and this is no easy task for someone whose profile has been sustained by his deeds on the field. Yet it manages it. Things getting a bit quiet? A story appears revealing "Flintoff says the Australian team is not what it was". No kidding, Fred. But the name was in lights once again, which is why we get stories such as the latest PR puff. A possible schedule for freelance Fred makes it sound like one great social whirl, doing the "seasons", when the reality will be more gym work, more biking, more one-on-ones with the proviso it is made clear that Flintoff drinks Red Bull.
Flintoff, it will be argued, needs cricket more than cricket needs him now. But is that actually true, either way, any more? He has always been aware of the value of publicity (think of those carefully staged photo-op wicket celebrations during his wonderful bombardment at Lord's last year) and savvy to the needs of those whose products he endorses, indeed shameless at times in what really has been product placement: the carefully arranged caffeine drink always to hand on the team balcony; the bat held up by the blade when acknowledging applause, the better to see the stickers. However, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest he has a significant and burgeoning income that is contingent on his reputation and profile as a person rather than as a sportsman per se.
The emphasis is changing. He is not Fred the cricketer any more, he is Fred the personality. He is earning millions through not playing cricket, the income from which would be small beer by comparison. It would be hard to believe that he has exiled himself in Dubai primarily for tax reasons or warm weather rather than getting paid a large sum to promote the place. A major high street bank rewards him handsomely because he is an "A list" companion of choice for major clients. He is going off on a motorcycle "odyssey" across India for some TV company or other. The cash is rolling in and will continue to do so.
Most bizarre of all is the suggestion, scarcely credible but from someone close to his management, that he has been offered many millions of dollars by one of the US wrestling circuses to train up for a year and participate. It is not 1 April. He would have to get a better name than "Fred", though. Still, a Boston crab would sort out his knee once and for all.
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