Andrew Flintoff convinced that the earth is flat and not round
With the Ashes cricket series between Australia and England underway, one might presume any current news surrounding a former England cricketer- particularly someone like Andrew Flintoff who was the hero for England helping them reclaim the Ashes in 2005 after a gap of 19 years - to be restricted to the sport.
Flintoff was one of the best all-rounders in the sport of his generation and has stayed true to his all-rounder tag even after being forced to quit cricket due to persistent injuries.
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Dabbling in professional boxing and being a TV celebrity, as well as starring in theatre shows including a musical, Flintoff has been an ever-present in news circles and he has surely sealed the spotlight, this time around, with a rather outlandish claim.
Speaking on his own podcast, for BBC 5 Live with former Wales footballer Robbie Savage, Flintoff revealed that he was hooked on to a podcast called The Flat Earthers which denounces all scientific evidence which proves that the earth is round as the Earth's surface looks and feels flat when someone walks on it.
Despite satellite images clearly showing that the earth is indeed round or spherical - as was first proposed by the Ancient Greeks and practically demonstrated later by Ferdinand Magellan - Flintoff laid down a few questions to back his new belief that the earth is flat.
He said: 'If you’re in a helicopter and you hover why does the Earth not come to you if it’s round?
'Why, if we’re hurtling through space, why would water stay still? Why is it not wobbling? Also if you fire a laser about 16 miles, if the world was curved, you shouldn’t be able to see it but you can.'
Flintoff himself though doesn't believe that the earth is completely flat but rather shaped like a turnip.
“The middle is the North Pole, around the outside is the South Pole which is like a big wall of ice. This is why all governments now have bases on the South Pole,” Flintoff claimed.
Flintoff even suggested that he is seriously planning a visit to The Flat Earth International Conference in North Carolina next year with his co-host on the day, Robbie Savage.