Flintoff pledge (21 August 1999)

21 August 1999

Flintoff pledge

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Andy Flintoff today confirmed what every Lancashire supporter wants to hear - he wants to stay at Old Trafford.

The 21-year-old, whose contract with Lancashire runs out at the end of the season, showed again why he is the hottest property in county cricket by hammering a new career best 160 in the Roses Match against Yorkshire yesterday.

And afterwards he said: "I don't have any plans to move, and Lancashire is the county I've wanted to play for since I was young, so hopefully we can come to an understanding between us.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen because, as of yet, I've not been offered a contract by Lancashire, nothing formally," said Flintoff, also with Sussex and Hampshire.

But he admitted that yesterday's innings was a huge weight off his mind.

Flintoff had gone 13 innings in all cricket without a half century since making an unbeaten 52 against Essex under floodlights at Old Trafford in June, and said: "I had reached an all-time low. I was doing things which came unnaturally to me and didn't suit me.

"So for the past few weeks I have tried to get back to my own routine. I reckon I owed Lancashire a bit so it's nice to have got a few for them. I was concentrating really hard and I had a bit of luck, but that's something I've not had for a while and maybe that's what you need to get a bit of confidence and form on the board."

Flintoff was at his power-packed best as he became the first Lancashire batsman to score a century before lunch in a Roses Match, racing from his overnight 45 to 156 in just 98 balls.

He then passed his previous best of 158 against Gloucestershire at Bristol and hit a total of 25 fours and two sixes.

Yorkshire were left to rue dropping Flintoff on 95 and 119 as his innings allowed Lancashire to reach a total of 314 to clinch a big first innings led of 247.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)