Dobell: Flintoff's comeback not a time for cynicism | Cricket News | England | ESPN Cricinfo
There is a lesson here, though. Flintoff's fame was cemented by his Man-of-the-Series winning performance in the Ashes of 2005; a series in which he bowled with pace and skill, batted with bravado and skill and showed the sort of grace in victory that portrayed the game in a flattering light.
But crucially, that Ashes series was the last shown on free to air TV in the UK. So while other players since have had periods of outstanding form, none have quite gone on to make the crossover from cricket to mainstream media personality. Flintoff's all-round excellence was one reason for his popularity and fame, but that fact that he had a larger stage and a bigger audience was also relevant.
The fear has to be that, for all the benefits of the finance pumped into the game by selling TV rights to one subscription broadcaster, it is almost impossible to replace the reach of a free to air coverage.
Yea boy apt point made by G-Dobell. Channel 4 cricket coverage for ENG home matches, especially in the 1990s growing up when Corhill Insurance was the sponsor was special.
That 2005 series to date, was the only time when almost everybody in this country was transfixed in a ENG home cricket series in a similar vein to England's football team at a world cup. And, that was all due to free-to-air TV.
Skysports owning the rights for ENG home series has killed the special vybe in the last decade.
