Flintoff retiring? Hardly

John Stern, writing in the Wisden Cricketer, says the retirement of Andrew Flintoff is hardly surprising news following his absence since the end of the Ashes in 2009. Also not surprising, he adds, is the indifference with which his decision might be received.

In my limited dealings with Flintoff he was charming, polite and great company. But endearing though his ‘I’m just a thick lad from Preston’ schtick is, it is highly cultivated. The oft-made claim that he doesn’t really like the spotlight are contradicted by the endless endorsements, some of them embarrassing in their overtness, and the Christ-like affectations of last summer.

In the Daily Mail, Paul Newman calls Flintoff "a lion-hearted, inspirational player who enjoyed great moments while never becoming one of the greats". He also says Flintoff was never as popular with the team as he was with the public.

The timing of yesterday's announcement summed up why Flintoff was never as popular within the game as he was among the supporters. It should have been the day when a great finale to the Championship race could be celebrated, when the grand old competition of the domestic season had a rare day in the sun. Instead it was a day hijacked by Flintoff, who could have waited but who orchestrated his retirement at the behest of a sponsor and overshadowed the drama of Nottinghamshire's unlikely triumph at Old Trafford.

When we look back at Flintoff's injury-hit career, in which the second half was spent more in rehab than on the cricket field, we realise it was comprised of islands of ecstasy amid a sea of inconsistency, writes Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph.

On the Cricket365 website, Mike Atherton writes that the sadness Flintoff feels on his retirement from cricket is likely to be diluted by a sense of relief.