Andrew Flintoff reveals truth about his pedalo antics during 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean

Andrew Flintoff

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has opened up about his notorious pedalo incident during the 2007 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean, on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, which will be aired live on ITV at 9pm UK time on Friday. The 36-year-old said that he regrets his misdemeanour that resulted in him being banned from England’s next match at the World Cup in addition to having to explain to the press the next day about what exactly had happened.

What Flintoff hadn’t mentioned to the English media at the time was that his reason for boarding a pedalo was to go across the bay and have an off-the-cuff drink with legendary all-rounder Ian Botham.

“We’d played New Zealand on the Friday, the first game of the World Cup, and things hadn’t being going well. We’d just come off the back of the Ashes [whitewash defeat under his captaincy in 2006-07], and I was so desperate to do well in this World Cup,” Flintoff said.

“I went out, I got a duck, out first ball actually … then I didn’t get a wicket, and then we got beat. I went back to the hotel room … I thought: ‘I’m not going out’ … but I was in my room, I was smashing the room up, I was gutted and then I thought: ‘I’m going to go out for a bit.’”

“About 1.30am I thought: ‘I’m hammered here, go home.’ I had to walk partially across the beach. For some reason I had this idea these boats out to sea – it sounds bizarre – but I knew Ian Botham was on one and I thought: ‘I’m going to have a nightcap with Beefy.’

“I thought: ‘I can’t swim ... that would be dangerous,’ so I was going to get a kayak.”

The meet never happened

Although Botham was in the Caribbean at the time doing television commentary for the World Cup matches, Flintoff never got to meet his idol on this particular occasion.

“I couldn’t find the oars, so I dragged this pedalo into the water,” Flintoff added. “The next morning I woke up, I was on my bed and … still wet and … sand between my toes.

“Then the door knocked. The door had these slats, and I thought it was the maid wanting to clean the room. So I said: ‘Can you come back?’

“But it was the coach. I pulled the slats down and answered the door, and then Duncan just said: ‘My room – now.’”

Despite it being seven years since the incident occured, Flintoff maintains that it was one of the lowest points of his life.

“It was a real low point … I had this press conference and walked across the hotel reception – and the England fans, who were only months previously cheering my name and high-fiving me … were shaking their heads. I couldn’t make eye contact with them and I thought: ‘This isn’t good.’”