"Stupid, reckless and complacent"

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Rachael

but the tour to SA last winter suggested slow progress: the moment he started pitching the ball up he started losing his control... and although effective, his figures flattered him.

Rachael,
Everyone else new Flintoff had it in him to become a top class bowler, if he was prepared to knuckle down, slin down and get himself fit, he awalys had that potential.
No peasing you though is there, in the West Indies, and even on last summer home Tests, you were saying he was one dimensional, could only bowl the ball back of a good length, and never would get lateral movement.

So he starts pitching the ball up in South Africa, and to good effect. he was second onlt to Hoggy, one wicket behind.Hi figues only did him justice in my opinion.
And this year bang goes your theory that he would never move the ball away from the bat, well he did, off the seam, and in the air.
So from last Winter to now, I would say was good progress, bowers who pitch the ball up, get drove for 4s, but also get more wickets.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Ernest

No peasing you though is there, in the West Indies, and even on last summer home Tests, you were saying he was one dimensional, could only bowl the ball back of a good length, and never would get lateral movement.

Still largely true to this day: he's added an ability to reverse the ball.. but it's Jones rather than Flintoff that excels at pitched up reverse swing (Flintoff tending to bowl shorter)... and we saw at Trent Bridge that Flintoff still has stacks to learn from (and a long way to go to catch up with) Hoggard and Jones when bowling on "normal" wicket (not that Flintoff bowled badly... but like Harmison.. he just wasn't up to exploiting conditions).

I still maintain that it's Flintoff's un-naturalness that makes him such an asset: he's drilled his hit-the-deck action as well as Any Roddick has drilled his serve... and it's just frighteningly reliable. There's no dependence on rhythm as there is in Harmison.. so he's not likely to have off days. It's all chest on and generated from the arm so there's none of the timing problems that will inevitably afflict Anderson and Tait and none of the likelihood of drifting off line as he strives for an extra bit of pace or bounce.

Facing Flintoff bowling, like facing Roddick when he serves, must feel like facing a machine... and I don't mean engineering like that on a formula 1 car - more that of a tank or a destroyer: relentless and overpowering.. and quite depressingly effective.