Duncan Fletcher says Andrew Flintoff 'could not throw properly' at training during the Ashes after an another ill-timed drinking session.
Former England coach slams former skipper for drinking sessions during Ashes.
Former England coach Duncan Fletcher has revealed a training session during the disastrous 2006 Ashes tour was cancelled after captain Andrew Flintoff turned up too drunk to throw a ball straight.
Fletcher's autobiography 'Behind the Shades' was expected to lift the lid on goings on behind the scenes during that infamous tour Down Under, which ended in a 5-0 whitewash.
Flintoff's drinking was thought to come under the microscope, and Fletcher has not disappointed with his comments on the England all-rounder.
Even before the infamous 'Fredalo' incident at the following World Cup, Fletcher had already been upset by Flintoff, who he says let him down when turning up unable to train properly during the one-day series after the Ashes.
Fletcher, whose book is being serialised by the Daily Mail, said: "I never minded players having a drink as long as they didn't go overboard and were mindful that you do not drink 48 hours before a game.
"You just hope the players will not let you down. Sadly Flintoff did.
"We went to Sydney for a vital match against Australia and a fielding practice was arranged for 10am.
"Flintoff turned up still under the influence of alcohol.
"Flintoff was in such a state that he could not throw properly. He had to pass the ball to the bloke next to him to do so.
"And when it came to trying to catch the ball I honestly thought I was going to hurt him, so uncoordinated was he.
"I was fuming and stopped the practice early. Remember: this was the England captain in this state."
Fletcher came close to dropping Flintoff after the incident, but did not want any more adverse publicity during a disastrous tour.
"My instinct was telling me I simply had to drop him as captain," he said.
"But then again I was thinking about how much pressure I was under anyway, having already been targeted by the media.
"Imagine what they would do now if I demoted Flintoff, the national hero."
Fredalo setback
Flintoff escaped punishment, but when he was caught out drinking after a match in the World Cup he was this time brought to book.
"But what it meant was that when the 'Fredalo' nonsense occurred six weeks later, during the World Cup, there was no way Flintoff could escape censure.
"Dickason (Reg, England security man) filled me in: Flintoff had been out drinking and had been involved in a dangerous incident with a pedalo in the early hours.
"'Bloody Flintoff again,' I thought to myself.
"I had a meeting with Vaughan, by this time back as captain, and we agreed Flintoff should be dropped from the Canada game and stripped of the vice-captaincy."
In Fletcher's explosive autobiography, he also says that popular all-rounder Flintoff would have been a devisive figure in the dressing room had he not been named as captain for the Ashes with Michael Vaughan injured.
"We knew we might struggle for leadership on the field during the Ashes tour in the absence of Vaughan," Fletcher added.
"Everyone knows it was a choice between Flintoff and Andrew Strauss. I had doubts about Flintoff as a captain even then.
"Yes, he is a fine cricketer and would be influential in any side, but the areas which concerned me were his tactical nous and man management under pressure.
"And there was always going to be a worry about his self-discipline. I was not confident we were making the right decision but I also knew that if Flintoff was not captain he would be a huge hindrance to the side.
"He would have teamed up with his mate Steve Harmison and they could have been difficult to manage, as previous captains had discovered."
Perth showdown
Along with the incident at training, Fletcher said it was not the first time he had felt let down by the skipper in Australia.
"It was when we reached Perth, already 2-0 down and with the Ashes almost taken from our grasp, that I knew matters regarding Flintoff's captaincy had come to a head," Fletcher continued.
"I was not happy and this was not just because he and Harmison had been in the Australian dressing room drinking until midnight after we had lost the second Test in spectacular fashion in Adelaide.
"I told Flintoff we had reached the crossroads.
"He had made a commitment to the team before Adelaide that he was going to lead from the front in terms of aggression, but he had simply not fulfilled it.
"You cannot tell the team that they must play in a certain manner and then not set the example. That is the basis of any leadership.
"He lost some respect from the players because of that."
