Freddie Flintoff put his Top Gear horror crash behind him as he helped England players prepare for their T20 World Cup campaign.
The former cricket star, 46, was in the nets at Headingley, Leeds, on Tuesday ahead of England’s warm-up game against Pakistan tonight.
Although his scars from the near-fatal crash 18 months ago are still clearly visible, his injuries seem to be on the mend.
The 46-year-old was driving an open-topped sports car at 130mph when it flipped over at Dunsfold airfield in Surrey in December 2022 – leaving him ‘lucky to be alive’.
While Flintoff kept a low-profile initially in the aftermath of the incident, he has started returning to the public eye in recent months.
Freddie Flintoff has put his Top Gear horror crash behind him as he helps England players prepare for their T20 World Cup campaign
The former cricket star, 46, was in the nets at Headingley, Leeds, on Tuesday ahead of England’s warm-up game against Pakistan tonight
Although his scars from the near-fatal crash 18 months ago are still clearly visible, his injuries seem to be on the mend
The former cricket star has been helping the England team prepare for the World Cup which kicks off in June.
And he has previously been tipped as an ‘excellent’ candidate to one day take over as England’s head coach.
Rob Key, England’s managing director, previously said that Flintoff has a similar ‘gift’ for man-management to that of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
He told the Telegraph: ‘Without question, I think he would be an excellent head coach.
‘Who knows where he ends up in the future. He will be a worthy candidate going forward.
‘When that time comes and whoever is in this job, and it might be outside of my time, they would be stupid not to look at him.’
At the nets in Leeds, Flintoff was dressed all in black and was wearing a pair of sunglasses.
His spirits seemed high as he was seen coaching the players ahead of tonight’s game.
Top Gear, which also starred Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, was axed following Flintoff’s horror crash.
He has previously been tipped as an ‘excellent’ candidate to one day take over as England’s head coach
Rob Key, England’s managing director, previously said that Flintoff has a similar ‘gift’ for man-management to that of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes
While Flintoff kept a low-profile initially in the aftermath of the incident, he has started returning to the public eye in recent months
Bosses at the BBC felt it would be ‘inappropriate’ to carry on filming in wake of what happened.
In a statement, the broadcaster said: ‘Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
‘The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019, and we’re excited about new projects being developed with each of them.
‘We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.’
Flintoff was first seen in public following the crash in September last year when he was photographed with cuts on his face.
He was spotted making a return to senior England cricket by joining the coaching staff at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens for the one-day international series against New Zealand as a mentor.
Flintoff’s family (pictured with his wife Rachael and three of their four children) reportedly begged him to stay away from the set while he was recovering from his injuries
The ex-international cricketer showed off his throwing skills (left) and sipped a coffee (right) while watching a game in September 2023
Flintoff’s injuries were still visible nine months on from the crash which left him with broken ribs and facial bones. Pictured in September 2023
Flintoff made his return to England cricket after joining the coaching staff as a mentor
In the aftermath of the accident, Flintoff’s wife Rachael reportedly begged him to stay off work – perhaps influencing his decision to return to the relatively gentle world of cricket, as opposed to the increasingly daring lifestyle he lived before his crash.
A source told the Sun: ‘As a loving husband and dad he understands the fear his family feel about what’s happened, knowing that he could have been killed. He is determined to resume his TV work at some point though.
‘That’s why this decision will be a painful one for Freddie, but he knows that, for now at least, there are more important things in life.’
After the incident his 16-year-old son Corey told MailOnline: ‘He’s OK. I’m not too sure what happened but he is lucky to be alive.
‘It was a pretty nasty crash. It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he’s going to be OK.’
It is uncertain whether Flintoff will resume his television career after the accident which left him badly injured and caused him to spend five weeks in hospital.
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