Andrew Flintoff thanks Wasim Akram for impacting his life and career; Pakistan legend responds

Andrew Flintoff, the former England all-rounder, thanked Wasim Akram, the legendary fast bowler, for shaping his career at the highest level. Freddie, as Flintoff is popularly known, was a 16-year-old when he debuted for English county side Warwickshire. David Lloyd, the now famous commentator, said that he hadn’t seen a better slip fielder than Flintoff.

However, Flintoff went on to drop three catches in the slip cordon. It didn’t go down well with Wasim Akram, who shouted: “get him out of there!” Later Akram reacted to the words, saying that it was their ‘tough love’ which ‘raised’ the 2005 Ashes hero so well. Flintoff was a star performer for the Brits in the Test series against Australia and he shone with both bat and ball.

Akram and Andrew Flintoff’s camaraderie

On Tuesday, Flintoff replied to Akram, crediting him for shaping his career for the England team. “And I’ll never be able to thank you enough for the impact you had on my career and life,” Flintoff was quoted as saying.

Later, Wasim acknowledged it and said that being neighbours, they could catch up when he’s in Manchester. He said that they could catch up for a barbecue during the meeting. “Well seeing as we are now practically neighbours, a good way to start would be a ‘few’ BBQs at your house next time I’m in Manchester,” Akram’s tweet read.

Here is Akram’s tweet

Flintoff turned out to be one of the greatest all-rounders to have graced the game. In 79 Tests for England, he notched 3,845 runs at an average of 31.77 and picked up 226 wickets. In ODIs, he scored 3,394 runs and picked up 226 wickets. Apart from that he also took part in seven T20Is. His last competitive match was for the Brisbane Heat in the 2014-15 Big Bash League (BBL).

Akram, on the other hand, is one of the enigmatic figures of Pakistan cricket. Even after several years following his retirement, he is Pakistan’s all-time leading wicket-taker in international cricket. With over 900 scalps at the highest level, Akram tormented a number of batters in his career. He last played for Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup.