Andrew Flintoff could barely hide his emotion at winning the Ashes in his final ever Test match.
'I nearly had a tear when I saw my mum up there,' he admitted. 'I'm sure she had a few as well. It's a real special moment.'
England won the final game at the Brit Oval by 197 runs when Graeme Swann had Mike Hussey caught at short leg and the celebrations began. It was a special moment for Flintoff, who had already announced he would retire at the series.
'It's like a dream,' he continued breathlessly. 'I don't know what to do. It's surreal. It's going to take some time to sink in. What a way to go.
'If someone had told me when I started and I was 21 stone that I'd be in two Ashes-winning sides I'd have snapped their hand off.
'I'm sure I'm going to celebrate tonight, but for now I'm trying to take it all in. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.'
Flintoff himself did little with bat and ball in the match, but contributed an incredible run out to turn the match by dismissing Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
'There's been a few question marks over my fielding,' laughed the man known as Freddie, 'so I put them to bed. But what a match for Stuart Broad. They seem to have found someone far better than me. The future's in good hands.'
The players' celebrations upon winning the Ashes in 2005 have gone down in folklore. 'You're p*ssed and you know you are,' sang fans as a bleary-eyed Flintoff waved to fans from a double-decker bus. Graeme Swann is aware of the danger, confessing, 'I'm going to avoid Flintoff and Harmy [Steve Harmison] because I've seen what they do to people.'
But Flintoff is planning a quieter night.
'I'm going to celebrate, but maybe not in the same way as 2005. I'll take the missus out for dinner and spend tomorrow with my family.'
Truly a character, Flintoff will be missed on the Test arena.
'I nearly had a tear when I saw my mum up there,' he admitted. 'I'm sure she had a few as well. It's a real special moment.'
England won the final game at the Brit Oval by 197 runs when Graeme Swann had Mike Hussey caught at short leg and the celebrations began. It was a special moment for Flintoff, who had already announced he would retire at the series.
'It's like a dream,' he continued breathlessly. 'I don't know what to do. It's surreal. It's going to take some time to sink in. What a way to go.
'If someone had told me when I started and I was 21 stone that I'd be in two Ashes-winning sides I'd have snapped their hand off.
'I'm sure I'm going to celebrate tonight, but for now I'm trying to take it all in. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.'
Flintoff himself did little with bat and ball in the match, but contributed an incredible run out to turn the match by dismissing Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
'There's been a few question marks over my fielding,' laughed the man known as Freddie, 'so I put them to bed. But what a match for Stuart Broad. They seem to have found someone far better than me. The future's in good hands.'
The players' celebrations upon winning the Ashes in 2005 have gone down in folklore. 'You're p*ssed and you know you are,' sang fans as a bleary-eyed Flintoff waved to fans from a double-decker bus. Graeme Swann is aware of the danger, confessing, 'I'm going to avoid Flintoff and Harmy [Steve Harmison] because I've seen what they do to people.'
But Flintoff is planning a quieter night.
'I'm going to celebrate, but maybe not in the same way as 2005. I'll take the missus out for dinner and spend tomorrow with my family.'
Truly a character, Flintoff will be missed on the Test arena.
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