Serving as a team mentor for England in their five T20s against the West Indies, Andrew Flintoff heaped praise on England leg-spinner Adil Rashid, saying that he “epitomises everything that England cricket is about” while presenting the lynchpin with his 100th T20 international cap.
In the team huddle before England’s four-wicket loss in Barbados, Flintoff jogged down the memory lane to talk about a 20-year-old Rashid when they were at opposite spectrums of their playing careers in late 2008. Rashid, aged 35, has since gone on to establish himself as a force to reckon with in white-ball cricket, helping England win both ODI and T20 World Cup trophies.
Upon hailing Rashid’s cricketing achievements, Flintoff also shone a light on the work Rashid does off the field, including mentoring the next generation at his academy in Yorkshire and the pearls of wisdom he doles out to spinners of all ages. ”It’s a privilege for me to tour with you, it’s a privilege for me to give you this cap,” Flintoff said to Rashid.
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