Flintoff expects England to win Ashes “quite convincingly” without him

LONDON - Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has predicted that Andrew Strauss’ men will have no trouble winning the Ashes in Australia “quite convincingly” without him.

Flintoff was the central figure in England’s 2005 and 2009 Ashes triumph.

“I expect England to go to Australia this winter and beat Australia quite convincingly. They’ve beaten Pakistan comprehensively. There’s a big winter coming up,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Flintoff, as saying.

“They’ve played for a long time without me. I think you’ll find professional sport moves on very, very quickly. That’s what England have done,” he added.

The 32-year-old announced his retirement from all formats of cricket after being told that his body would not be able to cope with his planned comeback.

“The decision to end my career came on Wednesday after consultation with medical advisers,” Flintoff said.

“Having been told that my body would no longer stand up to the rigours of cricket, I had no alternative, but to retire,” he added. (ANI)