Not long after I arrived in England this year to play at Lancashire, I realised not only how big a star Andrew Flintoff is in this part of the world, but how ambitious he was to be fit and ready for the Ashes. I went running through hills near Rivington a few times before my first county game to prove I had recovered from a hernia operation I had in Melbourne.
Lancashire's physiotherapist, Dave "Rooster" Roberts, told me "Fred" Flintoff had been running the same 10-kilometre path three times a week to build up his fitness after returning home from South Africa in the middle of the English winter for ankle surgery.
It was horribly cold out there, and it's really gruelling work running through all the mud between the trees and reservoirs and up the steep hills.
I knew Fred was a natural, powerful sportsman - other teammates at Lancashire have told me he was 193 centimetres by the age of 12 and a real bully of a cricketer - but this gave me a sense of his dedication and determination to spend every spare moment training for the biggest Test series of his life.
Lancashire's physiotherapist, Dave "Rooster" Roberts, told me "Fred" Flintoff had been running the same 10-kilometre path three times a week to build up his fitness after returning home from South Africa in the middle of the English winter for ankle surgery.
It was horribly cold out there, and it's really gruelling work running through all the mud between the trees and reservoirs and up the steep hills.
I knew Fred was a natural, powerful sportsman - other teammates at Lancashire have told me he was 193 centimetres by the age of 12 and a real bully of a cricketer - but this gave me a sense of his dedication and determination to spend every spare moment training for the biggest Test series of his life.
I expect Flintoff, who is nicknamed after Fred Flintstone, to be a crucial player in the coming months. He is probably the best all-round cricketer in the world at the moment - slightly ahead of Jacques Kallis - and I believe he is the only player in the England team who could get a game for Australia.
He has an aura about him in the dressing room that makes him stand out above everyone else in a similar way Shane Warne does in the Australian dressing room.
I don't think there is anyone else in world cricket, apart from Adam Gilchrist, who can hit the ball so hard and so cleanly. Pound for pound, he and Gilly are the strongest hitters of a cricket ball I've ever seen.
When they hit sixes, they don't just clear the fence, they go out of the ground, and bowling my little off spinners to Flintoff in the nets is one of the more terrifying things I've done in my cricket career.
I don't think Fred has a great deal of respect for spin bowling and it will be interesting to see how his battle with Warne unfolds because Shane has a few more tricks up his sleeve than I do.
I think Warne is the key to the series if he is going well, but if someone like Fred can nullify him, then Ricky Ponting's options are slightly limited. Warney tends to transfix sides with his accuracy, but Flintoff has the ability to take him for a lot more than two runs an over and he is the only England batsman who can damage Warne, unless they call on Kevin Pietersen.
I think Fred will try to get after him, but Warney has been through that before and he will be up for the challenge.
The one-day matches between England and Australia so far have shown just how important Flintoff's bowling is to England, too. I understand where John Buchanan is coming from when he says he rates Fred's bowling more highly than Stephen Harmison's at the moment because he has that nagging line and length that Glenn McGrath is famous for.
Facing Flintoff is always a challenge because he's big and tall and bowls at close to 145 km/h. He has a mixture of Michael Kasprowicz's strength and power and McGrath's line and length, and that is an awesome combination.
Off the field, Fred is a great fellow to spend time with. He doesn't particularly enjoy talking about cricket when he's away from it, and he is a dedicated family man who loves spending time with his little 10-month-old daughter, Holly.
Fred is massive in England, and especially in the Red Rose county, where he has lived all his life. Lancashire is having a benefit year for him next year, which is expected to bring in more than $2.36 million, but you never feel you are talking to a superstar when you spend time with him.
Fred actually has a lot of qualities that Australians enjoy. He works hard and plays hard, and loves to share a few pints of Guinness with his mates. He is very disorganised and messy in the dressing room, and I think he plays his cricket in the same free-spirited way.
Fred has all the glamorous shots, but when the time comes for hard work, he is a formidable opponent. He is someone who is very competitive on the field, and although he doesn't say a lot, he will always back up his teammate in an argument.
The Australian players know that, but we also know how much pressure rests on Flintoff's huge shoulders to perform during the Ashes. Fred spoke to our coach at Lancashire, Mike Watkinson, about how to handle all the hype. He has not played a Test match against Australia and I could sense before he joined the England squad that he realised how much expectation was on him to perform. If anyone can handle it, I think Flintoff can.
He has an aura about him in the dressing room that makes him stand out above everyone else in a similar way Shane Warne does in the Australian dressing room.
I don't think there is anyone else in world cricket, apart from Adam Gilchrist, who can hit the ball so hard and so cleanly. Pound for pound, he and Gilly are the strongest hitters of a cricket ball I've ever seen.
When they hit sixes, they don't just clear the fence, they go out of the ground, and bowling my little off spinners to Flintoff in the nets is one of the more terrifying things I've done in my cricket career.
I don't think Fred has a great deal of respect for spin bowling and it will be interesting to see how his battle with Warne unfolds because Shane has a few more tricks up his sleeve than I do.
I think Warne is the key to the series if he is going well, but if someone like Fred can nullify him, then Ricky Ponting's options are slightly limited. Warney tends to transfix sides with his accuracy, but Flintoff has the ability to take him for a lot more than two runs an over and he is the only England batsman who can damage Warne, unless they call on Kevin Pietersen.
I think Fred will try to get after him, but Warney has been through that before and he will be up for the challenge.
The one-day matches between England and Australia so far have shown just how important Flintoff's bowling is to England, too. I understand where John Buchanan is coming from when he says he rates Fred's bowling more highly than Stephen Harmison's at the moment because he has that nagging line and length that Glenn McGrath is famous for.
Facing Flintoff is always a challenge because he's big and tall and bowls at close to 145 km/h. He has a mixture of Michael Kasprowicz's strength and power and McGrath's line and length, and that is an awesome combination.
Off the field, Fred is a great fellow to spend time with. He doesn't particularly enjoy talking about cricket when he's away from it, and he is a dedicated family man who loves spending time with his little 10-month-old daughter, Holly.
Fred is massive in England, and especially in the Red Rose county, where he has lived all his life. Lancashire is having a benefit year for him next year, which is expected to bring in more than $2.36 million, but you never feel you are talking to a superstar when you spend time with him.
Fred actually has a lot of qualities that Australians enjoy. He works hard and plays hard, and loves to share a few pints of Guinness with his mates. He is very disorganised and messy in the dressing room, and I think he plays his cricket in the same free-spirited way.
Fred has all the glamorous shots, but when the time comes for hard work, he is a formidable opponent. He is someone who is very competitive on the field, and although he doesn't say a lot, he will always back up his teammate in an argument.
The Australian players know that, but we also know how much pressure rests on Flintoff's huge shoulders to perform during the Ashes. Fred spoke to our coach at Lancashire, Mike Watkinson, about how to handle all the hype. He has not played a Test match against Australia and I could sense before he joined the England squad that he realised how much expectation was on him to perform. If anyone can handle it, I think Flintoff can.
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