Ashes Hero No. 43: Andrew Flintoff

In the Times, Patrick Kidd continues his year-long exploration of the men who made the Ashes what they are. The eighth installment features Andrew Flintoff, the only member from the Ashes-winning side of 2005 to make the cut in Kidd's list of 50 players.

Without the runs of Strauss and Trescothick or the bowling of Jones, Hoggard and Harmison, without key performances at crucial moments from various members of the squad (and not to mention without a healthy dose of luck), England would not have won, but the person they could have least afforded to lose was Flintoff.