Freddie Flintoff leaves England role in major U-turn after ‘not gelling with white ball captain Jos Buttler’
FREDDIE FLINTOFF has reportedly left his coaching role with England.
The former all-rounder joined the set-up in March ahead of this summer’s T20 World Cup.
Flintoff had been encouraged to make a comeback by good pal and director of England Cricket Rob Key.
It marked a return to public life for the first-time since a life-threatening car accident while shooting a Top Gear skit in 2022.
He has since revealed more details of the crash and his injuries in an emotional BBC series.
However, Flintoff will not be part of the England coaching team for the white-ball series against Australia next month.
Instead, stand-in coach Marcus Trescothick is set to be given the chance to shape his own coaching team.
According to The Telegraph, Flintoff did not gel with captain Jos Buttler during the T20 World Cup in June.
England made it to the semi-finals in the West Indies before suffering a 68-run loss to eventual champions India.
Buttler will stay in his role as white-ball captain, though, following the sacking of Matthew Mott.
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He is understood to have a strong relationship with Trescothick, having previously played with him at Somerset.
The pair will have the chance to work together across three T20 matches and a five-match ODI series against Australia in September.
What is white-ball cricket?
White ball cricket, also known as limited overs cricket or one-day cricket, is a version of cricket that usually takes place in one day.
White balls are used in white ball cricket matches, which include T20 tournaments and one day events.
There are a number of formats, including List A cricket (8-hour games), Twenty20 cricket (3-hour games), and 100-ball cricket (2.5 hours).
Flintoff’s exit all but ends speculation linking him with replacing Mott as England’s next white-ball coach.
Prior to Mott’s exit, the 46-year-old had been in contention to replace him after leading the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
Flintoff returned to the England set-up on a short-term consultancy basis earlier this year.
The former Lancashire star did not sign a full-time contract as he continued to work in his role with the Northern Superchargers.
He coached the side to five wins and two losses as they narrowly missed out on reaching the play-off stages.
It was his first head coach role since retiring from professional cricket for a second time in 2015.