- Andrew Flintoff pictured smiling as he takes part in England training
- He was helping England warm up before their final ODI against New Zealand
- Flintoff returned to cricket after his horror success in the BBC series
Andrew Flintoff was pictured smiling as he helped England cricketers warm up ahead of their final one-day international match against New Zealand on Friday at Lord’s.
England currently lead 2-1 in the four-match series after securing a dominant 181-run win over the Kiwis on Wednesday.
Ben Stokes starred with the bat to hit a record 182 runs, the highest score by an England player in 782 one-day international matches dating back 52 years.
Flintoff, meanwhile, recently returned to England as an unpaid mentor.
It came after the 45-year-old was involved in a serious accident last December while filming with Top Gear, with the ex-England star recently showing off his injuries which appear to be slowly healing.
Andrew Flintoff (pictured) was pictured training with England ahead of their final ODI match against New Zealand
Flintoff is making a quiet return to cricket after being involved in a near-fatal accident last December while filming for BBC show Top Gear.
The 45-year-old was seen for the first time since last week’s accident and has taken on a mentoring role within the England camp.
The near-fatal accident left Flintoff badly scarred, but the man synonymous with England’s legendary Ashes success in 2005 later returned to the cricket field to help offer his wisdom and advice to the team in the short format of Jos Butler ahead of this fall’s Cricket World Cup.
According to reports, Flintoff was present during the recent Ashes series in England, attending several matches, wearing a scarf and hat to hide his injuries and sitting in a private room with his friend Rob Key to watch the matches.
He made his first public appearance earlier this week since his car crash amid his low-key reintroduction to the sport, pictured during the first ODI match between England and New Zealand at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
Since then his presence around the England camp has become more prevalent, with Mail Sport columnist Stuart Broad admitting he was impressed by Flintoff’s mitts.
Today the former all-rounder was seen at Lord’s donning the mitts again and training with the players ahead of the match.
Flintoff has been praised by some of the team’s players, with Chris Woakes admitting this week that having the cricket legend around the team was “surreal”.
“Having Freddie in the band is amazing and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s the first time I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Woakes said.
“I met him a few times, but having him in the band – for me, he was one of my heroes growing up.
“Wracking your brains and talking nonsense with him in the locker room is really surreal. It’s good!’
England currently lead 2-1 against New Zealand in the series and will be hoping for another win today as they prepare for the upcoming Cricket World Cup.
Flintoff suffered broken ribs and facial injuries that were still visible, but he was pictured smiling as he helped his team warm up.
He was also seen catching balls with a glove at Lord’s today, with Flintoff praised for his catching skills by Mail Sport columnist Stuart Broad.
Flintoff (pictured) was also praised by fast bowler Chris Woakes, who said: “Wracking your brains and talking nonsense with him in the dressing room is truly surreal. It’s good!’
Broad also gave insight into Flintoff’s role in the England set-up, saying:
“He did some work with the England Under-19s which he really enjoyed and he had just arrived in Cardiff to settle into that squad for this series.
“Freddie Flintoff would have inspired this team in 2005 and before, so he is an icon of English cricket and a legend of the game, so just to be able to spend time with him, pick his brain and feel the aura that he has about him . the group.
“The opportunity for him, I know it’s a training jersey, but to put on the Three Lions jersey again is really special.”
