Teenager who featured in Andrew Flintoff's 'Field of Dreams' series passes away
Andrew Flintoff suffered a fatal car accident while shooting for the Top Gear TV show in 2022.
Former legendary allrounder and current head coach of England Lions, Andrew Flintoff, had a tumultuous time for over a year, as he suffered a tragic road accident during a TV show named, Top Gear, leaving him in a battle of death and life. However, he fought hard through his treatment and recovered fully. But the injuries he suffered changed his life forever.
After recovery, 'Freddie' as he is fondly known, started seeing life from new perspectives and as a result, decided to make a TV series named, Field of Dreams, with BBC TV, in a bid to support the young and untapped talents from Lancashire. Besides he also laid his support and encouragement to instill a sense of self-belief to dream big and achieve goals in life. During the series, Flintoff selected a young 18-year-old, Hadifh Umar Mahmood, from a youth club based in Preston, where the legendary cricketer lives.
However, in heartbreaking news, as per bbc.com, Mahmood passed away after his car crashed into the trees on Tuesday. Notably, the youngster was driving an Audi A3 sport but seemingly lost control while driving on Chain Caul Way. As a result, he sustained serious injuries and despite being rushed to a hospital, passed away soon after. Along with Mahmood, another 16-year-old boy named, Adam Bodi, who was sitting in the backside of the car, also succumbed to the sustained injuries.
Also Read: Andrew Flintoff reveals mental and physical trauma of Top Gear accident
In the same vein, his former school Penwortham Priory Academy paid their tribute by revealing the kind of person Umar was. In a statement released by the school, Mahmood was lauded for being considerate towards other students of the school. Moreover, the school said that the youngster was good at studies with a bright mind and he was loved by everyone in the school including the teachers. Furthermore, they also revealed that Mahmood had left the academy two years ago. Mahmood was really good with cricketing skills and also had an immense interest in Geography subject.
"Bright, studious and well-loved, was a young man who was always considerate to those around him and who showed ambition and kindness in all that he did. With great sadness that we hear this news," the school said.
Flintoff picked underprivileged children to transform their lives through cricket
Meanwhile, speaking of the former England star, Andrew Flintoff, the legend visited some underprivileged parts of Lancashire to find 11 promising teenagers in a bid to create a cricket team and take them to India. It is worth mentioning that Flintoff wanted to give a huge chance to those kids who never considered making sports their profession or have any future in the field. Reflecting on the same, back in July 2022, Umar Mahmood enjoyed playing the game and he was picked by Flintoff's team from the BYDS Youth Club.
Also Check: Andrew Flintoff's message from 'Field of Dreams' goes viral
“They said they wanted to do a documentary about cricket and give people like me an opportunity which I might not otherwise have," he had said in a statement, as claimed by his former school.
Regarding the work of Andrew Flintoff, Umar Mahmood shared how various cricket skills were taught by the England legend quite efficiently and that he considered himself as an allrounder after being trained for some time. Besides, he was quite ecstatic while describing how his other family were interviewed when several TV programmes visited his house. In the end, he signed out by saying that he found Flintoff quite down to earth and that the young cricketers who were part of the team loved him.
"They taught us different types of cricketing skills and it has been really good. I would say now I am a bit of an all-rounder and they have been to my house and interviewed my family as well," Mahmood stated.
Download Our App