Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and his journey from England cricket captain to TV host

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff became well known as an all-rounder after he earned his place in the world of international cricket and later as a TV host.The former England cricket captain retired from the sport in 2015, but went on to become a TV regular and began presenting Top Gear in 2019.Flintoff, who was injured last December while filming the BBC motoring show, has reached a reported £9 million financial settlement with the broadcaster following the crash.Born in Preston on December 6 1977, his sporting career saw him take part in several international cricket tours with England youth teams before making his debut for Lancashire in 1995.In 1999 he made his senior international debut against Pakistan at Sharjah, scoring 50, and later that year became the first Lancashire player to score a century before lunch in a Roses match against Yorkshire at Old Trafford.He helped England clinch the Ashes in 2005 after a draw against Australia at the Oval.Flintoff was named man of the series and jointly awarded the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year award, before going on to win BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.A year later he was made an MBE by the Queen and named man of the Test series in India.After undergoing ankle surgery he was named England captain for the Ashes tour of Australia.In 2009, Flintoff ended his England career on a high, helping the team defeat Australia at the Oval to seal a 2-1 Ashes series win.He retired from all forms of professional cricket, having consulted medical advisers, but returned briefly in 2014 to play Twenty20 for Lancashire.Flintoff went on to become a familiar face on television, taking part in reality and panel shows and appearing as the face of supermarket brand Morrisons.In 2010 he became a team