Big thanks to big Fred for a big win!

So England won The Ashes, and they did so against all odds after the horrendous defeat in Leeds just over two weeks ago. Amidst all the celebrations and back slapping there has been a general feeling that Andrew Flintoff did not play well in this match. That his younger and fitter colleagues conspired to give the limping old hero a magnificent send off. Not so, not so at all.


Yes, Stuart Broad bowled an immense spell on Friday afternoon, putting the Australians in all sorts of brown water. And yes, captain fantastic Andrew Strauss scored plenty of runs, leading from the front as he has done splendidly for the last 18 months. Add a fine performance from 8 wicket Graeme Swann and a ton on debut for Jonathan Trott and evidence of Flintoff’s fading seems compelling.


Two factors though, must dispel the idea that Freddie played a limited role in this match. Number 1, Ricky Ponting’s run out. I am not the first person to point out the importance of this moment, and I will not be the last, but mention it I must. What does seem to have been overlooked, however, is that Australia’s captain was beginning to look completely invincible, adding 127 runs with Michael Hussey for the third wicket. Without that run out England would probably have still won, but, it would have been a lot closer. And who can say what might have happened if Ponting and Hussey had been together at the crease for two more hours?


The second factor is Flintoff’s sheer presence in the side. Competitive at Lord’s and Edgbaston, the home team arrived in Leeds to find that their number 7 was out of the match. How much impact this had on the psychology of the other players we will not know until the autobiographies start appearing, but one thing is for certain; somehow England turned innings defeat into almost 200 run victory in two weeks.


Stuart Broad will surely become a fine all rounder, as will Graeme Swann, but neither currently has the impact on the team that Flintoff has. All the big man has to do is show up, put his whites on and jog onto the pitch and all around him are uplifted. So yes it was not vintage Freddie, no big wickets, no big runs, but to think England would have won the Ashes without him is foolish, just look back two weeks for the cold hard proof. Thanks for the little urn Freddie and let us all hope that you will be performing in the blue of England for many years to come.