Andrew Flintoff feels "England will have a good winter" Down Under

The Ashes is a spectacular cricketing affair to behold, played between two of the greatest teams of England and Australia. With England all set to take a trip down under to defend the title they claimed on home soil in 2015, former English cricketer, Andrew Flintoff has termed the current England team as the best they’ve ever had. The 70th edition of the regal tournament begins on November 23, at Brisbane.

While many have been criticising the team selection ahead of the all-important Ashes, Flintoff has defended the players that have been included in the mix and expressed hope about his nation’s success in away conditions. Notably, former England captain, Kevin Pieterson has slammed the choice of players and many have even gone on to predict a 5-0 whitewash for England. Flintoff, on the other hand, rooted for the current crop of players and spoke extensively about the comparisons being made between Ben Stokes and himself.

Flintoff  feels England have a good team

Having captained the England side that suffered a humiliating whitewash in the 2006-07 season, “Freddie” Flintoff is more than familiar with the crushing weight of defeat in the Ashes. In a conversation on BBC Radio 5 Live, Flintoff said, “It’s not a case of England winning – it’s by how many. It’s the type of side you’d want to be involved in, from the coach and the captain down. I think England will have a good winter. We’ve got Jimmy Anderson, who is England’s best ever bowler; Alastair Cook, England’s best ever batter. And you throw in the likes of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, who is fantastic – it’s exciting times.” Freddie said.

Pointing out the similarities between the current English and Australian sides, the 39-year old added, “I see a lot of similarities in the two teams. The transition that both have gone through in the recent past is very similar. There are weaknesses in both teams and they’re going to try and exploit ours. It’s our job to try and exploit theirs and cement the cracks we might have. If we can do that, we’ll be in a good position.”

Flintoff speaks about Stokes

Prolific English all-rounder, Ben Stokes has been embroiled in an ugly controversy of late and has been suspended from further cricketing action pending a formal investigation into an incident of a brawl in Bristol, which means he’s in a doubtful position for the Ashes tour.

Commenting on the parallels that are frequently drawn between Stokes and himself, Flintoff said, “Ben is a fantastic cricketer and it’s flattering when he’s compared to you. He’s such an exciting talent but so too are many of the England side. Obviously there’s a few things going on at the minute. I’ve only seen what everybody else has seen and it’s something that’s being investigated so I’m not commenting on that.”