The 2005 Ashes champion, who played more than 200 matches for his country in all formats, will replace James Foster, who was let go by the Superchargers on Friday. While Flintoff has no experience as a head coach, the move is a major milestone in his return to cricket.
Flintoff, 45, is making a steady return to public life through cricket after suffering an accident last December while filming an episode of Top Gear, with the help of his good friend Rob Key, managing director of the England men’s team. Flintoff spent the summer working behind closed doors with the England Under-19s and recently completed an unpaid spell with the ODI squad during their series against Ireland. This week he will travel to the UAE as part of the training squad for England’s training camp, and is expected to tour the Caribbean for England’s white-ball matches against the West Indies in December.
Since retiring in 2010, Flintoff has stepped away from the game and into entertainment, becoming the presenter of BBC’s Top Gear in 2018. He has dabbled in commentary, particularly in 2021 when he was part of the broadcast team for the inaugural season of The Hundred, He also maintained a connection with the game through his sons Corey and Rocky, who were down the road in Flintoff County, Lancashire.
Despite never being a manager, Flintoff applied for the England manager’s job in 2014 when Trevor Bayliss announced he was leaving the following year. After he sent an email to register his interest, he did not receive a response until a month after following up on his application, before receiving a phone call from someone at the ECB who did not realize the response was genuine.
As coach of the Hundred, Flintoff’s duties will be limited beyond the competition itself and he will be involved in managing the player retention rule and negotiating next year’s draft ahead of the 2024 season. Former Lancashire player Kyle Hogg, now a coach at the county and close to Flintoff, is expected to take over. , assistant coach position at Superchargers.
“I am excited to be named head coach of the Northern Superchargers Men’s Team,” Flintoff said. “My time with the England men’s team has been a reminder of how important cricket is to me, and I relish the opportunity to get back into it, to help guide the Superchargers to success on the field while making memories of it. And to help take the game of cricket to more people.”
“The Superchargers have a fantastic fan base that I can’t wait to meet and bring with us this season. I’m looking forward to making Headingley my new home.”
Kirsty Bashforth, Chairman of Northern Superchargers, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew to the Northern Superchargers family. He is an inspiring and well-respected figure in cricket and someone we know will impress our players, coaches and fans. “Andrew will help us create a unique culture and we are very excited to be working with him.” To further inspire our team through positive, entertaining and consistently winning cricket.”
