Fletcher says Flintoff is a ‘supreme’ cricketer

London: Describing Michael Vaughan as the best captain in the world, England coach Duncan Fletcher has said it was an absolute “travesty” that he was not chosen to lead World XI against Australia in the recent Super Series.

“In Michael Vaughan, England have a captain of whom they can be immensely proud. There is no doubt in my mind that he is currently the best skipper in the world,” Fletcher writes in his book Ashes Regained ? The Coach’s Story, published on Monday.

“The selectors said that they were going to select players on the strength of their form against Australia. Well, is it my imagination or has Vaughan not done rather well against Australia in the two Test series in which he has played against them?”

Fletcher said in a high-voltage series like the Ashes, the burden of captaincy was immense and Vaughan had proved himself this summer. However, the first foreign coach of the English team said in view of the upcoming Pakistan tour, he would have saved Andrew Flintoff from playing in the Super Series to give him some rest.

“If I am truthful, I would have preferred it that he did not appear in the Super Series. He would have been better off having a rest, otherwise with the Pakistan tour following hard on its heels, he will have played almost continuous cricket from April till December,” he said.

The coach also described Flintoff as a “supreme cricketer” for his allround performance in the Ashes, which he said deserved to be ‘Freddie’s Ashes’.

“?The 2005 series will probably be remembered as ‘Freddie’s Ashes’ and I cannot disagree with that judgement. He was a colossus throughout.”