Flintoff’s pedalo admission

ENGLAND all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has revealed he never made it onto a pedalo in the infamous incident which overshadowed his cricket World Cup.

Describing it as a “slip up in St Lucia”, 29-year-old Flintoff, who arrived in South Africa with the England squad for the World 20Twenty, which begins today, said last night he was puzzled at all the attention caused by that night in the Caribbean.

Speaking for the first time in detail about the so-called Fredalo incident in March, when asked by Gabby Logan on BBC’s Inside Sport programme if he was pulled off or fell off a pedalo, Flintoff replied: “I didn’t get on one.”

Logan said: “You didn’t get on a pedalo. So you tried to get on a pedalo?”

“Yep,” replied Flintoff, who said he tried to get on but failed.

He was stripped of the vice-captaincy and suspended for the match against Canada as punishment for the late-night drinking escapade.

Flintoff said he was only aware he was in trouble when he was “hauled into the coach’s office” the next morning.

He admitted the decision to go out drinking so soon after losing to New Zealand and with the Canada match fast approaching “wasn’t appropriate”.

Flintoff expressed his frustration at being remembered for the pedalo incident and not cricket, but admitted the profile of an England cricketer had “gone through the roof” since the Ashes win in 2005.

“Everyone wants to hear the events, everyone wants to talk about it, but, you know, there’s a lot of good things happen, and there’s a lot of good things to come which I’m concentrating on, as opposed to, you know, a slip up in St

Lucia,” he said.

Flintoff also revealed that if he wanted to prolong his career, he would have to continuously work on strengthening his troublesome ankle.

“I think I’m going to have to be on a constant rehabilitation programme, going to have to keep working at my ankle,” he said, adding that he did not think he would have to change his bowling action.

Paying tribute to his wife Rachael, Flintoff said: “I think there’s no coincidence in the upturn in my career and meeting Rachel. And the two of us are different, she’s real driven and I’m pretty much more laid back, and we meet each other somewhere in the middle, and we’ve had a bit of a rub off on each others’ characters. And it seems to work.”