Andrew Flintoff

London: England allrounder and Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff has said Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the two best batsmen he has come across, and that the maestro holds an edge over the West Indies genius.

“I would say Lara and Sachin are the two best batsmen I’ve faced, although you always think you have more of a chance when you are bowling at Lara,” says the flamboyant cricketer in his autobiography ‘Being Freddie ? My Story So Far.’

According to Flintoff, “Tendulkar has a very simple technique, whereas Lara has a lot of movement at the crease and looks very flashy, but his hands are so good.”

Referring to Lara’s record-breaking innings of 400 in the final Test in Antigua, Flintoff says, “The word genius gets bandied around a lot, but in his case I think you can call him that.”

Meanwhile, Brian Lara has been appointed vice-captain following the withdrawal of Sachin Tendulkar for the ODIs.