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Nervous Flintoff backs natural instincts
Andrew Flintoff admitted to some early nerves before blasting his way back into form with a powerful 77 in the third Test against Sri Lanka.
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff admitted to some early nerves before blasting his way back into form with a powerful 77 in the third and final test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
The hard-hitting Lancastrian, who had struggled in the first two test with scores of 1, 0, 16 and 19, backed his natural instincts and climbed into Sri Lanka's bowlers to help England recover from 139 for five to 259 for eight at the close.
"I was a bit nervous with low scores in the last two test matches but I had to trust my method and trust the way I play," Flintoff said.
"I have tried to play aggressively throughout the series but it has not come off. I tried not to change too many things here and scrapped that little bit harder.
"Four [bad ] knocks don't make a bad player and I have been working hard..."
Flintoff hopes that the last two remaining wickets can add some useful runs and put England firmly in the game.
"The guys in the lower order have shown a lot of application and if we can nudge close to 300 then we can put some pressure on the Sri Lankans with the new ball," he said.
Sri Lanka skipper Hashan Tillakaratne said: "Flintoff batted magnificently. At that time someone had to come and play positively and he did that.
"The boys fought hard after we lost the toss and I'm happy with 259 for eight. On a good, placid batting track I don't think that's a good enough total."
Sri Lanka pulled themselves back after a thundering start by England's openers, who plundered 75 in the first hour.
"The first hour was horrible - we bowled so badly," said Tillakaratne. "But we fought back, with good bowling backed up with some excellent fielding."
