England’s selectors are adamant that Andrew Flintoff was the right man to captain England in the Ashes series
Well,of course they’re adamant. The board room never makes errors of judgement. Merely decisions they’re always backing, of which some are better than other. All good, mind you.
Pommy bastard or not, you just have to feel for Andrew Flintoff. Bannerman is willing to bet he was never made irrefutably aware before leaving Olde Blighty that he was merely warming a seat. Equally, claiming that Michael Vaughan was always going to re-take the captaincy for England smacks of just a little ingenuity. Bannerman is wholly on par with Alec Stewart. No changes. Give the players the rope to hang themselves with before making any hard decisions. Let’s be honest. Australia lost the ashes in England because of complacency and home ground advantage. England lost them in 2006 because of inexperience and home ground advantage. Either way, it all comes down to the mental strength which test match cricket demands, over and above that of the one-day / 20–20 brands. Mental strength comes from exposure and experience. Bannerman says give them the opportunity, not the chance, to learn from their mistakes.