Andrew Flintoff feels he is lucky to coach in The Hundred as he makes his return to cricket following his involvement in a near-fatal car accident. The former England all-rounder suffered serious facial injuries when he was filming for BBC’s Top Gear back in December 2022 and has since been appointed head coach of the Northern Superchargers men’s team.

Cricket has given me so much. It was my childhood dream come true, and it opened doors to many opportunities off the field. My television career, including Top Gear, all came from that cricket background. It’s nice to be involved again in the cricketing world,” he revealed on reflection.

Gareth Williams from Redhill, England, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Flintoff has spoken of his return without discussing the accident and its aftermath in an interview with England fast bowler Kate Cross, published on The Hundred’s website. His second documentary series, “Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams,” will detail the effects of the incident for the first time when it airs on BBC One on August 13. Flintoff said in a teaser clip, “Something happened which changed my life forever.”

Flintoff played 79 Tests for England between 1998 and 2009, and was one of the chief architects of the 2005 Ashes success over Australia. After retiring from playing, he entered the world of TV presenting, and has presented Top Gear since 2019 until the 2022 crash. After the crash, Top Gear suspended production before apologizing to Flintoff in March 2023 over the incident. A £9 million compensation deal was agreed.

Flintoff made his first comeback to the cricketing scene in September 2023 as he linked up with the England white-ball team as part of their coaching staff. He remained until after the T20 World Cup in June, where England went on to make the semis. His role with the Superchargers will be his first-ever head-coaching job in professional cricket.

“I’m a little nervous, but that’s natural because it shows you care,” Flintoff said. “I feel lucky to be back and want the players to appreciate every moment. Looking back, time flies, so it’s important to live in the moment. That’s something I’m focusing on and want my team to do as well.”