Featured Image Credit: Getty / BBC
Topics: Cricket
Ryan Smart
England cricket legend Andrew Flintoff has opened up for the first time on the horror Top Gear crash which left him with severe facial injuries.
The former Lancashire and England all-rounder was airlifted to hospital after his car flipped during filming for the BBC show at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, Surrey, in December 2022.
BBC Studios later confirmed it had reached 'an agreement' with Flintoff, which was reportedly a financial settlement of around £9 million, over the crash.
Advert
The 46-year-old kept a low profile for several months after the crash, electing to instead recover in private with his family.
He attended several Ashes Test matches last summer after an invitation from England director of cricket Rob Key, and joined the coaching staff for that summer's One Day Internationals and the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Flintoff is currently the head coach of The Hundred franchise Northern Superchargers, in what is his first coaching role.
Up to now, he has yet to speak publicly about the crash, the full details of which are still yet to be officially revealed.
Advert
He did, however, conduct his first full interview since the crash with England bowler Kate Cross last week.
But in the second series of his highly-acclaimed cricket documentary, 'Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams', the 2005 Ashes hero opens up about the aftermath of the crash and the early days of his recovery.
Ahead of a planned tour to India with the group of young cricketers he coached during series one, he says: "I don't know what completely better is. I am what I am now.
"I'm different to what I was. It's something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life. Better? No, different."
And in a meeting with close friend and former Lancashire fast bowler Kyle Hogg in the summer of 2023, which also features in the documentary, Flintoff explained: "I genuinely should not be here with what happened. It's going to be a long road back, and I've only just started.
Advert
"I'm going to need help, I really am. I'm not the best at asking for it.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the lads, I really am. This India trip is going to be for much as much as them now. I'm determined. I really want to go.
"I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say 'everything's alright'. But it's not been the case.
Advert
"It's been a lot harder than I thought. As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I've just not been able to.
"I struggle with anxiety. I have nightmares, I have flashbacks. It's been so hard to cope with."
The second series will also show new images of Flintoff's recovery, including a photo taken one and a half weeks after the crash.
He had been linked as a potential candidate to replace Matthew Mott as England's white-ball coach this summer, but The Telegraph report that he is 'unlikely' to apply for the role.
Advert
Instead, Sri Lanka icons Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, as well as former England batter Jonathan Trott, are seen as more viable candidates.