The Ashes Legends: Andrew Flintoff - The people's champion

Incidentally, it was the next Ashes series in Australia which proved to be his lowest point.

Owing to Vaughan’s troublesome knee, Flintoff was handed the captaincy reins and with a rare Test win in India, he got off to a good start. But against a hurt Australian unit looking for vengeance, his side looked way out of depth and capitulated to a 5-0 whitewash, the first Ashes whitewash since 1921.

His own performance too left a lot to be desired as he scored just 254 runs at a partly average of 28.22 and managed only 11 wickets in the five Tests. The talisman of 2005 looked helpless and burdened in Australia.

As the captain, Flintoff struggled to conjure that brilliance in 2006-07 Ashes

Heavy workload and subsequent injuries conspired to push his career to a premature end. His cause also wasn’t helped by the several off-field transgressions – the ill advised pedalo episode during the World Cup in the West Indies for example – which made him a figure attracting jeers and ridicule.

When Australia returned to the English shores in 2009, there were doubts if Flintoff’s body would last the rigours of a five-Test series. His loyalty to his team was also questioned as, notwithstanding his fragile frame, he signed on the dotted lines to represent the Chennai Super Kings in the lucrative IPL for a whopping US$1.55 Million.

As expected, his right knee gave away during the the IPL and though he managed to recover in time for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff, he announced that he would retire from the longer version of the game after the series.

Safe in the knowledge that his body wouldn’t be undergoing the strain anymore, Flintoff rolled back the years and bowled an inspired spell, virtually on one leg, to shut the door on Australia with his third five-wicket haul to help his side record their first Ashes win at Lord’s since 1934.

On his final day as a Test cricketer at the Oval, he conjured another moment of magic with a direct hit from mid-on to catch Ponting short of his crease and almost seal the Aussies’ fate.

Finishing his Ashes journey with the urn – Flintoff will remain a quintessential Ashes legend

Being the enigma that he is, even three years after his retirement it is not clear how Flintoff’s legacy will pan out. While at his pomp he would have given The Beatles a close run in the popularity charts, at his lowest ebb he has been subjected to taunts, mocks and even abuses.

But what is certain is that in the Ashes folklore, he will be remembered as the figure who revived the battle for the urn and even had the Aussie captain wishing they had a Flintoff of their own.