Rob Key believes it would be “stupid” for England not to have the legendary Freddie Flintoff as a contender for their head coach role.
Current boss Matthew Mott remains in situ but finds himself under increasing pressure. England failed to progress from the group stage of the 2023 World Cup in India.
They won just three out of their nine matches. Should England decide to part ways with Mott, Key believes that Flintoff is an outstanding candidate for the white-ball role.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the current director of men's cricket said: “Without question, I think he [Flintoff] would be an excellent head coach. Who knows where he ends up in the future.
“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.”
Flintoff, now 46, has already made his return to cricket. He has been appointed as the Northern Superchargers head coach for this summer’s Hundred series.
The former all-rounder has also been working alongside England’s limited-overs side during a tour in the Caribbean. Flintoff has already been pencilled for a role with the England side in the home ODI against Pakistan.
Key, who is a close friend of the former England captain, believes Flintoff has all of the assets to succeed in the hotseat. He added: “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. Leadership is about making the people around you feel better and he is someone who is like that. He has a lot to offer.
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“Flintoff is a leader like [Ben] Stokes. He is not going to need to learn leadership qualities. He has those in abundance which is what you need at the top level. He has that empathy that Stokes has as well as being a great player.
“He knows what it is like to nick off and to struggle. All these things as a leader, your interactions with people, mean you can impact people in a positive or negative way with everything you do. Fred is aware of that, and not many are aware of that, and he understands how to use that gift with people. “
Flintoff retired from Test Cricket at the end of the 2009 Ashes Series and followed that up by stepping back from all forms of the sport just over a year later. He returned in May 2014 to play for Lancashire in Twenty20. He then signed for the Brisbane Heat for the 2014/15 Big Bash League season and then retired once again following a solitary campaign.
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