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Flintoff goes on rampage against his team-mates Nelson Clare in Lahore - 1 April 1999 Andrew Flintoff gave an early glimpse of the explosive potential waiting to be unleashed on this summer's World Cup by hitting a rapid century playing for Lahore Gymkhana against his England team-mates yesterday. The Lancashire all-rounder and Vince Wells were added to the Gymkhana team to give all 14 tourists a run out before facing the far sterner opposition of Pakistan A in the back-to-back day/night matches this weekend. But having arrived at England's Lahore training camp as a relative unknown at international level, Flintoff quickly stamped his mark on the low key match with a brilliant 112 off just 67 balls. Flintoff despatched a full-strength England attack to all parts of the picturesque Gymkhana ground, hitting seven sixes and 11 other boundaries. He was particularly severe on Angus Fraser, hammering him out of the ground twice in one over. His innings, lasting only 127 minutes, was finally ended after Adam Hollioake - Flintoff's main rival for the No 6 batting spot in the World Cup side - knocked out his middle stump with a yorker. Without his powerful strokeplay, Gymkhana finished on 238 for nine with England earning a 137-run victory. Flintoff's exhibition even eclipsed a powerful array of shots from Alec Stewart, Graeme Hick and Hollioake earlier in the day when England cruised to 375 for five in their 50 overs against a sub-standard attack. Stewart and Hick retired after hitting half-centuries, as did Hollioake and Neil Fairbrother, and the only two batsmen not to profit from the gentle bowling were Nick Knight and Graham Thorpe. Knight, the Warwickshire opener who passed 50 just once in the 12 Carlton and United series matches he played in Australia, fell for 15 when he drove the seamer Khurshid Bhinder straight to short midwicket. Thorpe, playing his first innings in a match situation since returning home early from the Ashes tour with a recurrence of back trouble, also fell cheaply. Mis-reading the flight, he was bowled for 11 by the off-spinner Asim Sheikh.
Source: The Electronic Telegraph Editorial comments can be sent to The Electronic Telegraph at et@telegraph.co.uk |
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