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In the Northern Superchargers’ inaugural game of the Hundred, Andrew Flintoff’s team suffered a crushing loss, leaving him looking shocked in the bench at Headingley. They were taken aback by the 47-run lead, as they could only manage 7 wickets in 29 balls throughout their pursuit. The Trent Rockets were so strong that they didn’t even consider calling a break to force Flintoff back onto the outfield.
Ben Dwarshuis and Matthew Potts put on a 57-run eighth-wicket partnership to save the scorecard from the humiliation of the biggest loss in the Hundred’s short history. When Dwarshuis struck the last ball to mid-off, a large portion of the 12,857 spectators had dispersed from the stands.
Wigan Warriors vs. Warrington Wolves was a surprisingly low-key debut for Flintoff as head coach. The game was interrupted midway through the first inning on Sky Sports’ Main Event channel, and just one national newspaper covered it in person. Since his appointment nine months ago, he has remained quiet and has not given a public speech. Nevertheless, he signed every autograph that the hundreds of kids who waited around for him asked for.
“He just wants to bring a bit of fun and joy,” Matt Short, Superchargers’ stand-in captain, said. “There was a bit of chaos in the last couple of days, but he said, ‘we’re here now: just go out there, enjoy yourself, back yourself and play with that positivity – and be fearless.’ It’s definitely a thing we want to stick to in this tournament: being fearless and taking the game on.”
The Superchargers were constantly up against it because of the “chaos,” which took the shape of an availability dilemma. While Ben Stokes and Harry Brook were with England at Edgbaston, Mitchell Santner was at Major League Cricket, and Jason Roy (shoulder) and Reece Topley (finger) were sidelined. Less predictably, Dillon Pennington was also kept in the Test team as a contingency plan in case of a concussion following the West Indies’ toss and first-ball bowling victory in the third Test.
Due to Pennington’s injury, a last-minute scramble was made to find a temporary replacement; Michael Jones was called up while training with Durham on the morning of the game. While Potts was travelling up from Birmingham, he got caught in traffic on the M1, while Jones was travelling down the A1(M) to Leeds.
When Nicholas Pooran arrived, things got even more crazy. After spending the night on a transatlantic flight, he arrived at the Superchargers’ hotel barely 24 hours after his team, MI New York, was eliminated from Major League Cricket. More pandemonium ensued when Pooran revealed to Short, their acting captain, during breakfast that his bags and kitbag were still on route.
Thanks to Phil Salt of Manchester Originals, who uses the same sponsor and has the same specs, he was able to locate three bats, which were then driven across the Pennines in an Uber. Pooran’s subsequent innings of 10 off 15 balls and a six after being caught at mid-off while attempting to drive Chris Green over his head must have been what Flintoff had in mind when he signed Pooran to a £125,000 contract in March.
The first four men’s matches of this year have been a complete mess, all incredibly biassed, despite the Hundred being marketed as a “best vs. best” match. Numerous last-minute replacements, frequently on one-match contracts, have been necessary due to the overlap with MLC and a Test match.
As captain, Short also had a difficult night since he was at a loss for bowling options following Jordan Clark’s 21 from his opening five deliveries. He turned to forcing himself into the game, but the Rockets already had two right-handers in Sam Hain and Banton, so his rapid, flat offbreaks cost them 19 points. Their collapse to spin with the bat was pitiable: they went from 41 for 0 off 24 balls to 71 for 7 off 63.
But all it took to confirm that this is a significant step up for a man with no coaching experience was to take a quick look at Flintoff’s opposite number. Andy Flower, arguably the most sought-after coach on the franchise circuit, went to the middle to address the Rockets’ hitters as Flintoff strode out during the first-inning strategic timeout.
Among the impressive group of names associated with the men’s Hundred are Flower, who coached Flintoff for his final England appearance in 2009. Other notable names are Stephen Fleming, Tom Moody, and Mike Hussey. While it’s true that everyone starts somewhere, Flintoff’s loss served as a stark reminder of the magnitude of the challenge before of him in the following four weeks.