Freddy Flintoff retires

[Q.]

Freddy first hurt is knee (tore the meniscus) playing IPL anyway. It was his choice to play that tourny rather than rest.

[mal]

Mal, these guys you mention don't break down because of too much cricket. They all break down well before they even get the chance to play too much cricket. You can add Watto to the list as well. These blokes just can't cope with the stress the game puts on their bodies. You can't tell me that too much cricket is the problem when they are breaking down within a month of resuming on a regular basis.

It wasn't that long ago that SK Warne retired from all one day cricket in a bid to prolong his Test career. That isn't something we are likely to see any players do again.

More cricket than thier cricketing ancestors of the 70s/80s
I starting watching Norman May and his cohorts on ABC cricket mid 60s
The life of a bowler was cotton wooled compared to the modern bowlers
Garth Mckenzie was the premier quick of the times
Garth would go on a tour of say England
He would arrive and play a few games against the counties and build up his fitness [after about a 3 month break most times ?]
Garth would then be close to flat out in a penultimate game
Garth would bowl his heart out in a 5 test series
Yeah he would be tired at the end of it
B
U
T
He would come home in August and would put his feet up for 2-3 months b4 the Oz summer of Shield/Test cricket
No months of teeball/50 over games to play
His batteries recharged and raring to go again for his country

Bowlers lived a more cotton wooled life back then
70s/80s it got busier but manageable for most
90s/00s too much wayyyy to much for the bowlers[90 overs a day tests/50over games and now tee ball]

Guys like Freddy would have been better bowlers perhaps in the 60s with the schedules back then

[Adelaide Hawk]

Mal,

I would add on top of the match work load, there is also the practice work load. Cricketers these days practice longer and harder than we ever did back in the 70s. Not just the bowling they do, but all the added fielding and throwing practice.

By the time they get through the pre-match warm up these days they've already done half a day's work.

[rod_rooster]

Yet there are still a heap of guys who manage the workloads and get through. The guys you have brought up are highly injury prone and would be like that no matter when they played. Breaking down in the first couple of games you play isn't a result of workloads it's either poor injury management or the body just not being up to it. I can accept that there are tougher traing schedules and playing schedules but these guys get nursed through yet on a consistant basis they re-injure themselves before they even have the chance to have any sort of workload.

[mal]

Yet there are still a heap of guys who manage the workloads and get through. The guys you have brought up are highly injury prone and would be like that no matter when they played. Breaking down in the first couple of games you play isn't a result of workloads it's either poor injury management or the body just not being up to it. I can accept that there are tougher traing schedules and playing schedules but these guys get nursed through yet on a consistant basis they re-injure themselves before they even have the chance to have any sort of workload.

Decade long champion physically fit fast bowlers might be a thing of the past
Glen Mcgrath is the last one we have had
Brett Lee nearly did it but not in Mcgraths class

Au has 2 very good bowlers
JOHNSON
SIDDLE
How long b4 the inevitable burn out ?

Out and out genuine 150km fastys are a luxury these days
Bowlers like Hilfenhaus get a gig because they are workhorses and needed to bowl day in day out

[rod_rooster]

Yet there are still a heap of guys who manage the workloads and get through. The guys you have brought up are highly injury prone and would be like that no matter when they played. Breaking down in the first couple of games you play isn't a result of workloads it's either poor injury management or the body just not being up to it. I can accept that there are tougher traing schedules and playing schedules but these guys get nursed through yet on a consistant basis they re-injure themselves before they even have the chance to have any sort of workload.

Decade long champion physically fit fast bowlers might be a thing of the past
Glen Mcgrath is the last one we have had
Brett Lee nearly did it but not in Mcgraths class

Au has 2 very good bowlers
JOHNSON
SIDDLE
How long b4 the inevitable burn out ?

Out and out genuine 150km fastys are a luxury these days
Bowlers like Hilfenhaus get a gig because they are workhorses and needed to bowl day in day out

Hilfenhaus still bowls quicker than McGrath. McGrath is the perfect example that you don't need to bowl quickly to take wickets. Test batsmen don't get out because the bowling is too quick. Unless you are bowling well over 150km's you are not going to get worry Test batsmen purely with pace.

I am not suggesting that the workload of the modern cricketer doesn't impact on their physical health rather that the guys who are clearly injury prone would be injury prone no matter what. At the end of the day even if a player plays for just 5 years he will have actually played more cricket than a bloke who played for 10 years in the 60's or 70's. So realistically they have got as much out of their bodies but it just didn't take as long. Flintoff has played 76 Test matches since his debut in 1998. I doubt he would have played that many Tests in the 60's even if he was never injured. So despite being injury prone he has still played more in the modern era than he would have in the "good old days".

[locky801]

IMHO (which doesnt stand for much) I reckon Freddy knew the writing was on the wall, so yes, lets announce our retirement and that I am going to go out with a bang, alas, selectors keep him in the side for the rest of the series. Hopefully they do, this may well play right into the Aussies hands. Must admit don't mind Flintoff but he aint no Botham or close to it.

will be interested to see what happens if he plays this test and gets next to nothing for a packet (bowling) and doesnt score any runs if they will leave him in the side fot the rest of the series

[Gozu]

I pretty much agree with this tribute to Flintoff.

Freddie To Retire (Eventually):

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/chappell/200 ... ventually/

[Adelaide Hawk]

Maybe we should recruit Freddie as our bowling coach. At least he has an idea of how to bowl, especially with the new ball.