Andrew Flintoff has spoken of the emotional anguish he experienced leading England during their Ashes thrashing in Australia five years ago and how he wanted to retire at the subsequent World Cup.
The former all-rounder talks about his personal struggles and those of other leading sportsmen, including some of his team-mates, in a BBC programme entitled ‘Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side Of Sport,’ due to be broadcast a week on Wednesday (January 11).
Flintoff was England’s captain when they were whitewashed 5-0 by hosts Australia in the 2006/07 Ashes, a series where they surrendered their grip on the urn before Christmas.
“I was having a quiet drink with my dad Colin on Christmas Eve 2006 and as we made our way home I started crying my eyes out,” said Flintoff, in an extract from the programme quoted on the Daily Mail website on Sunday.