Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has questioned the fitness level of Indians and also criticised the visiting team for their "shabby" warm-up routines.
Published: Aug 19, 2011, 02:20 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 19, 2011, 02:20 PM (IST)
Andrew Flintoff said England looked the fitter team and that some of the Indian players were ‘popping out of their shirts’ © Getty Images
London: Aug 19, 2011
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has questioned the fitness level of Indians and also criticised the visiting team for their “shabby” warm-up routines.
India, which is hoping to salvage some pride and avoid a humiliating whitewash, has been ravaged by the injuries to its key players and has not looked its usual self in the tournament so far.
The former Test cricketer, who was forced to cut short his international carrier due to a recurring ankle injury said, “England looked by far the fitter team, joking that some of the India players were ‘popping out of their shirts’.”
The cricketer drew a stark contrast between the two teams as they warmed up for the first day’s play of the fourth and final Test of the series at The Oval.
“I’ve not seen much of the summer, and this morning I watched the two sides warming up,” he said.
“I saw India, and they looked like they’d got their kit out of the garage. They were all in different gear. England looked really professional next to them. They just looked poles apart,” he told BBC Test Match Special.
Flintoff said he felt sorry for his former England coach Duncan Fletcher, who took over the India job in June after Gary Kirsten declined to extend his contract citing personal reasons.
“Watching the slip catching practise, you had England on one side diving around, the ball fizzing through,” he said.
“I used to do it with Duncan Fletcher. I bet you he’s tearing his hair out.
“They were clapping everything down: the keeper was missing them, the slips were dropping them. It just looked shabby,” Flintoff added. (PTI)
