SYDNEY, 1 October 2005 — All rounder Andrew Flintoff, man of the series in England’s Ashes victory over Australia, says he is not under any extra pressure to reproduce that form in the World XI’s matches against the same opposition next month. Flintoff, who has been short-listed for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) player of the year award, arrived in Melbourne yesterday to prepare for three one-day games against the world champions next week.
The 27-year-old is also in the World XI test squad for a six-day match in Sydney starting on Oct. 14. “I won’t be putting pressure on myself,” Flintoff told reporters in Melbourne. “I’ll just try and go out there and do what I do. “I’m a cricketer. I enjoy playing cricket — that’s what’s got me here and I’m not going to lose sight of that. “I still knock about with the same lads back home I enjoy having a pint with so not a great deal’s changed on that front.” Awarded the freedom of his home town Preston after capturing 24 wickets at 27.29 and scoring 402 runs at 40.02 against the Australians, Flintoff said he was keen to face them again at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium on Oct. 5 in the first of three one-dayers. “It’s going to be great to be honest,” he said. “Obviously I’m very pleased to be involved in it. “Two or three years ago, I probably never had thought I’d be here playing in this game so it is a good opportunity to play against Australia again in Australia and will hold all the same challenges it has done this summer.”
Meantime, Brian Lara said yesterday he was hopeful a protracted sponsorship dispute would not stop him from taking part in the West Indies’ Australian tour starting in November. Lara, in Melbourne with the ICC World XI to play Australia in three one-dayers and a Test match, sat out last July’s tour of Sri Lanka along with several other leading players over the wrangle. The dispute, involving the team’s former sponsor Cable and Wireless and current sponsor Digicel, also led to Lara and others skipping the first Test in South Africa in March. “It’s sad that the West Indies is playing, I’m fully fit, (Ramnaresh) Sarwan is fully fit, Chris Gayle is fully fit and we (were) not out there playing, hopefully that can be sorted out,” Lara told reporters yesterday.
