Andrew Flintoff has been named head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Men’s Hundred, marking a significant step for the former England allrounder. The 2005 Ashes hero, who played over 200 times for his country across all formats, will take over from James Foster, who was released by Superchargers on Friday. Despite having no head coach experience, Flintoff’s appointment is a major milestone in his return to cricket.
Flintoff, 45, has been slowly reentering public life through cricket following a December crash while filming an episode of Top Gear. He has been supported by his friend Rob Key, England Men’s managing director, and has been working behind closed doors with England U19s over the summer. He recently completed an unpaid stint with the ODI squad during their series against Ireland and will be part of the coaching team for an England Lions training camp in the UAE this week. He is also expected to tour with England for their white-ball matches against West Indies in December.
Since retiring in 2010, Flintoff ventured into the entertainment industry, becoming a host on BBC’s Top Gear in 2018. He has also pursued commentary and maintained a connection to the game through his sons Corey and Rocky, who are on the pathway at Flintoff’s county, Lancashire.
While he has never held a head coach role, Flintoff applied for the England job in 2014 when Trevor Bayliss announced his departure. He only received a response a month later upon chasing up his application, and it took a phone call from someone at the ECB who did not realize it was genuine to acknowledge his interest.
As a Hundred coach, Flintoff’s duties will be limited to the competition itself, along with assessing retaining players and negotiating next year’s draft ahead of the 2024 season.
“I am excited to have been appointed Head Coach of the Northern Superchargers men’s team,” Flintoff said. “My time with the England Men’s team has been a reminder of just how special cricket is to me, and I’m relishing the opportunity to be back among it, helping to guide the Superchargers team to success on the field while making memories off it and helping to take cricket to more people.”
Northern Superchargers chair Kirsty Bashforth expressed excitement over Flintoff’s appointment, calling him an inspirational figure who commands respect across the game of cricket. She believes Flintoff will help create a unique culture and is looking forward to working with him to inspire the squad further with positive, entertaining, and consistently winning cricket.
