Freddie Flintoff breaks his silence almost a year after horror 124mph Top Gear crash as his new role revealed

ENGLAND cricket legend Freddie Flintoff has broken his silence after being chosen for a new job.

The 45-year-old will now be Head Coach of Leeds-based Northern Superchargers men’s team in The Hundred.

PA

Freddie retired from cricket in 2009 and later joined BBC’s Top Gear as a presenter[/caption]

PA

The 45-year-old will now be Head Coach of Leeds-based Northern Superchargers men’s team in The Hundred[/caption]

Freddie, whose real name is Andrew, said he was “excited” with the appointment and thanked the club’s directors for choosing him.

He added: “My time with the England Men’s team has been a reminder of just how special cricket is to me.

“And I’m relishing the opportunity to be back amongst it, helping to guide the Superchargers team to success on the field while making memories off it and helping to take cricket to more people.

“The Superchargers have a great fan base who I cannot wait to meet and bring along with us this season.

“I’m looking forward to making Headingley my new home.”

Freddie retired from cricket in 2009 and joined BBC’s Top Gear as a presenter in 2019.

He returned to England cricket training as a coach on September 7 this year.

It was his first time back on the crease since a horror crash during filming for Top Gear left him with a smashed jaw and broken ribs.

He was driving a three-wheel, open-topped, 130mph Morgan Super 3 when it flipped and slid along a track.

The car didn’t have an airbag and Freddie was not wearing a helmet when he crashed at Dunsfold aerodrome, Surrey, on December 13.

The cricketing ace had to wait 45 minutes to be airlifted to hospital.

The BBC has yet to reveal if filming for Top Gear will resume with Flintoff following his new appointment.

The BBC have been accused of failings in its duty of care towards the cricket ace.

A BBC spokesperson told the PA news agency: “A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content.”

The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men’s and eight women’s teams located in major cities across England and Wales.

It runs for one month over August.

Instagram/northernsuperchargers

Freddie said he was ‘excited’ with the appointment and thanked the club’s directors for choosing him[/caption]

PA

Flintoff was pictured at England cricket training on September 23[/caption]

Freddie was driving a three-wheel, open-topped, 130mph Morgan Super 3 when it flipped and slid along a track while filming with Top Gear