Top 138 Quotes & Sayings by Andrew Flintoff

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an English entertainer Andrew Flintoff.
Last updated on December 3, 2024.
Andrew Flintoff

Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff is an English television and radio presenter and former international cricketer. Flintoff played all forms of the game and was one of the sport's leading all-rounders, a fast bowler, middle-order batsman, and slip fielder. He was consistently rated by the ICC as being among the top international all-rounders in both ODI and Test cricket.

My father, Colin, and my brother, Chris, who is four years older than me, were a great help to me when I was younger.
Cricket was deemed too posh where I came from, and I'd never have risked walking home through the estates in my whites. My club played some of the posh schools. I'd have the cheapest kit, but I loved those games. As soon as the posh lads opened their mouths and you heard their accents, the stakes were raised.
I do sometimes like a bit of cheese, like MC Hammer. — © Andrew Flintoff
I do sometimes like a bit of cheese, like MC Hammer.
I am not a big fan of hockey.
Playing for England was always something I dreamt of and, of course, you then think of the captaincy. It was something I never thought I would be offered, especially after the way I started my career. But when it came along, I was very keen to have a go.
Old Trafford - as a cricket ground, I love playing there. It's a second home for me; I've been going there since I was young. It just feels right there.
When I was younger, I played football and table tennis for local teams. I also played mini-rugby at primary school - I was tall for my age - and Preston Grasshoppers wanted me, but I wasn't that interested in rugby. It was always going to be cricket for me.
I'm not that good at cards.
The Ashes have been hard, but you take the accolades when they come along.
I love Britain, but I've only been to the obvious places.
I don't live a rock n' roll lifestyle.
Now, I am not saying that the world is flat, but it could be.
One of the reasons why you want to play cricket is to play in front of big crowds, and in India, it is the perfect place to do that. The atmosphere here is like no other place in the world. Having experienced it once, you want to keep coming back.
I've had a go at captaincy. Batting and bowling and captaincy turned out to be a bit too much. — © Andrew Flintoff
I've had a go at captaincy. Batting and bowling and captaincy turned out to be a bit too much.
Big things, a real crisis, I think I'm pretty good, but this little thing will just wallop me. I think I'm managing depression better now: when the mood comes, I just try and sit it out.
It is one thing being scrutinised for playing a bad shot as a batsman or bowling a bad spell as a bowler, but the captaincy adds an extra dimension. The criticism is slightly harder to take.
Maybe it's the sportsman in me, but if it is going to be television, I want to be the best I can be.
I've been to a lot of places to play cricket, but cricket and training get in the way! In India, all you see is the hotel and the cricket ground.
It was two different worlds: my world - cricket, the dressing room and the lads. And then family. Even when they travelled with me, it wasn't always easy to bridge the gap.
I like going down the pub with my mates and horse racing. I don't do anything that exciting.
In boxing, Mike Tyson fascinates me. The attitude and confidence that he could not be beaten when he was heavyweight champion of the world was interesting. He came across as very mild-mannered, and much of what he said made sense.
I'm gradually getting rid of all the things I don't need.
I have no problems with a multicultural society; I think that is to the benefit of the country. But you have to be careful what levels you take it to.
North of England, you're brought up on fish and chips. Friday or Saturdays every week, it was a treat.
I took my wife to a really expensive hotel in Dubai. This was when we were first dating, so I wanted to impress her. I had scallops, and after that, I went to the bathroom to be sick. I realised I had just paid £300 or £400 on scallops just to throw it up. My wife and I then talked about it; I knew I had a problem.
A lot of kids don't get the chance to play sport.
I was just 17 when I made my debut for Lancashire against Hampshire at Portsmouth. I got seven and a duck. I didn't get a wicket, either. Funnily enough, it was more nerve-wracking than playing for England.
Success isn't about things we acquire.
I always wanted to captain the teams I played in.
Looking at my family today, I think, 'I could not have done any better.' That's one thing I have got right.
Now, I have a confession to make. I hate warm-ups with a passion. Worst part of the whole day. Nonsense, they are.
The thing with sledging is it very rarely goes well. Usually, if I was sledging, I was struggling.
I was a professional cricketer for 16 years.
Why, if we're hurtling through space, why would water stay still? Why is it not wobbling?
Reverse swing is a great asset if it happens.
Throughout my career, in cricket and beyond, I've been incredibly lucky with my marriage. I met Rachael in 2002, and that was the year my England career kicked on. Everything started to click.
I like spending time away with the family.
I like being out on the cricket field and performing and playing in front of a crowd. I find it quite tricky when there are press photographers outside my house. It's all very bizarre.
I'll be fine, and suddenly I'll feel the depression coming on. It can start with the smallest thing. — © Andrew Flintoff
I'll be fine, and suddenly I'll feel the depression coming on. It can start with the smallest thing.
I had time with my family, which was great, but I am a cricketer, and once that was taken away from me, it was as though part of me wasn't there.
I enjoy playing Test cricket, especially against India in India.
I've tired of looking into the future, imagining all the things I want to have.
We always gave one-day cricket respect as players, definitely.
I can easily go up to 19 stone or so if I'm not careful.
You're never prepared for the end of a career.
I made a series for ITV, just after I retired from Tests in 2009, called 'Flintoff Versus the World.' The idea was that I would attempt a series of extreme sports - rodeo riding, jumping out of aeroplanes, paragliding, cliff diving. I thought, 'Yeah, it looks fun. It's six weeks having a laugh.'
If you're in a helicopter, and you hover, why does the Earth not come to you if it's round?
I've been offered all the usual, 'Strictly Come Dancing' and the like, but the one thing I know is that for me to be good, I've got to absolutely love doing something. And you can't dance the foxtrot half-hearted.
I take the same Timberland holdall wherever I go, stuffed with all my gear. Or a Louis Vuitton weekender my wife bought me. I'd never have a bag that you wheel; they get in the way.
I've got quite a lot of energy in me and a lot of pent-up aggression. I'm like a dog. I need walking. — © Andrew Flintoff
I've got quite a lot of energy in me and a lot of pent-up aggression. I'm like a dog. I need walking.
India - I've always felt at home there. Delhi and Mumbai and the Taj Mahal are all incredible - but it's the people I love. Indians are so interesting and accommodating and friendly. The best hotel I've stayed at there is the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur: its architecture is unbelievable.
I am actually learning to enjoy bowling, and I never thought I'd say that. I didn't enjoy it in the past because it hurt. It hurt my back or my ankle.
If I get runs in an entertaining fashion, then great. I like to get on top of bowlers and be aggressive. I don't want to be dominated by them. Hopefully people enjoy the way I play.
There have always been two people jostling for control of my life, two totally opposite characters. The first one is super-confident, bulletproof, a showman, and an extrovert. He tries to make people laugh, messes about, gets into trouble, shrugs it off. The other character is withdrawn and reflective.
I have a Harley and a Bourget, which I enjoy taking into the countryside.
Sometimes, there's a fine line between bravery and utter stupidity. The day I decided to climb into a boxing ring for a professional fight was probably on the side of stupidity.
Looking back, I feel for the missus. She used to get the worst of me.
I flew to Los Angeles to interview Vinnie Jones and Piers Morgan for the BBC and spent 11 hours in economy on BA, and the leg room was fine. In business class, Virgin, BA, and Emirates are good. I've flown business class on Kingfisher, which has proper couches.
I would like to be as successful as Ian Botham was, but if I'm doing anything, I'm doing it as myself.
My school was pretty tough, and I played football there so I would be accepted, to save myself a kicking.
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