Brisbane Heat confirm Flintoff signing

Australia

The Brisbane Heat have confirmed, after a few weeks of speculation, that former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has signed up for the Big Bash League at the end of the year.

Flintoff has not played international cricket since retiring in 2009, but made a comeback this year for Lancashire. He did well in the T20 Blast, prompting Heat coach Stuart Law to recruit the burly player.

Flintoff said on the Heat’s website: “I’m excited to be coming back to Australia and especially to Brisbane which has always been a favourite spot of mine to play.

“Stuart and I have had a few conversations and I’m clear on what we’re looking to achieve in the competition. The Heat squad has some exciting talent and I’m looking forward to catching up with Dan Vettori again.

“I’ve seen from afar how the BBL has evolved so quickly to become a world class competition and it’s a challenge that I am certainly up for.

“I really enjoyed my T20 season with Lancs and having the opportunity to keep playing is something I am very pleased about. It’s going to be great heading out to Brisbane and getting into the swing of things for the BBL in December.”

The coach, who used to play with Flintoff at Lancashire, said he wasn’t looking for Flintoff to be a token player, but rather perform the way he did when he was at his peak, and hopes the Brisbanites would welcome him easily.

Law said: “I’ve told Fred we signed him to win games of cricket, so that means we want him bowling 140km/hr, hitting sixes and using his experience around the group to get the job done.

“He’s an enormous competitor and so I know he is coming out for the right reasons. The Brisbane fans will quickly discover he’s a champion fella and I’m sure they will love having him with the team.

“He’s a wonderful person and we’re looking forward to having Fred and his family with us at the Heat over the summer.”

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