Andrew Flintoff has stepped down from his role as head coach of Northern Superchargers, suggesting the team’s new Indian owners made him feel undervalued.
Flintoff, who remains one of the biggest stars in English cricket, managed the Headingley-based Hundred franchise in the last two editions of the tournament but will not be involved next year.
The former England captain revealed the news on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, co-hosted by Superchargers spinner Adil Rashid, and indicated he would have liked to stay after finishing third this year.
But he claimed talks with Sun Group, which bought the entire 100 percent stake in Superchargers as part of the influx of new investors into the competition, quickly collapsed.
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(John Walton/PA)
Appreciated
“Unfortunately I’m not going to do it, which is sad,” he said. “Over the past two years I had the feeling that we were building something very beautiful, and I would have liked to see it through to a successful conclusion.
“We have new owners, I talked to them. They called and said they wanted us to do it, so I said, ‘Yes, fine. Just make an offer.’
“I really don’t do it for the money, although it is fun, but I think I am worth (more) than more than a quarter of the (salary of) other head coaches.
“The money was one thing, so I’m not sure if they wanted me anyway, but then you also want to feel appreciated. I said, ‘This isn’t going to work for me,’ and they didn’t pursue it.”
(Richard Sellers/PA)
Branding
Rashid, one of the team’s big players, responded by telling Flintoff: “You will be missed. I didn’t expect that.”
Flintoff, who is also head coach of England Lions, could be of interest to other Hundred teams as the new influence behind the scenes begins to be felt.
London Spirit have already lured Andy Flower away from Trent Rockets and further personnel changes are likely.
Superchargers, meanwhile, will change their names to incorporate the Sunrisers branding of their IPL and SA20 stablemates.
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