"Great that Stokesy will be matching up with Freddie Flintoff" - Stuart Broad excited to see 'iconic duo' working together in The Hundred
Retired England seamer Stuart Broad is excited to see Ben Stokes and Andrew Flintoff team up for the Northern Superchargers ahead of the upcoming edition of The Hundred. However, Broad feels having them play together would have been even more iconic.
The England Test captain will feature in The Hundred for the first time since 2021 when he played only two matches. Meanwhile, Flintoff will assume the role of the head coach for the first time, having been part of England's backroom staff in T20 World Cup 2024.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Broad feels Stokes and Flintoff working together to win games will be a sight to behold. As quoted by The Daily Mail, he stated:
"It's great that Stokesy will be matching up with Freddie Flintoff. It's almost the iconic duo to see walking out, unfortunately, they're not walking out to play together. Those two minds working together to win games looks quite exciting and brings a bit of intrigue."
The 167-Test veteran believes Flintoff would have been idolized by many growing up and it will be a dream for youngsters to rub shoulders with the legend. He said:
"The players I've spoken to, when Freddie (Flintoff) has been involved in the coaching stuff, have loved him. He's at that great age where the players he's now coaching, he was probably their hero. For him to go into a changing room and hear him speak about the style he wants them to play is really exciting."
Despite having a career marred by injuries, Flintoff made several match-winning contributions. The 46-year-old was lethal during the 2005 Ashes series, especially with the ball, taking 24 scalps to help England regain the urn for the first time since 1986-87.
Stuart Broad backs Andrew Flintoff to become an international coach in the future
With Flintoff suffering a brutal accident in December 2022, Broad said it's inspiring to see the Englishman healthy enough and feels he can become an international coach someday. On this, the 38-year-old added:
"The way the cricket family has got around Fred after what happened has been incredible and shows the strength of the wonderful game we play. It shows the best side of our sport that can get around one of its stars and bring him back closer to the game he loves.
"Ultimately he has ended up as one of the coaches of The Hundred franchises, I'm sure with half an eye on building him towards being an international coach in the future. Having someone like a Freddie Flintoff involved in the game is only going to inspire the next generation."
The fourth edition of The Hundred begins on Tuesday, July 23.