Andrew Flintoff has been added to England’s backroom staff for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and ECB managing director Rob Key viewed it as a portend to the former all-rounder’s potential candidacy to the team’s head coach role.
Flintoff will coach Northern Superchargers in the Hundred this season and will also be involved with the England team during its four-match T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the ICC showpiece.
“Without question, I think he would be an excellent head coach. 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,” Key told Telegraph.
England’s Test side is managed by Brendon McCullum while Matthew Mott is its coach in white ball formats.
Key also drew parallel with current England captain Ben Stokes and said the Lancastrian can easily relate to players in the dressing room.
“Flintoff is a leader like (Ben) Stokes. Just having someone who knows what it is like to struggle and come out the other end is so relatable to those players. When they have had a bad day, he can explain it.
“He has high emotional intelligence so he understands when you need a bit of an arm around your shoulder or blunt honesty. Those are the skills that make a great leader,” said Key, a close friend of Flintoff.
The 46-year-old Flintoff had suffered serious facial injuries while shooting for ‘Top Gear’ in 2022 and Key was instrumental in bringing his former teammate back to mainstream cricket.
Key also said former England players like all-rounder Moeen Ali should be fast-tracked into coaching roles in future.
“Moeen Ali I think will be an excellent coach, there are so many people. They have these skills and we want to try to create experiences where they can really learn,” he added.