Strauss, Ponting praise Flintoff by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	A Flintoff, AJ Strauss, RT Ponting
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

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DateLine: 22nd July 2009

 

Rival skippers, Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting hailed Andrew Flintoff's fast bowling abilities.

 

The two captains said that Flintoff is making a huge difference in the ongoing Ashes.

 

The all-rounder's third five-wicket haul enabled the hosts win their first Test at Lord's in 75 years.

 

Hailing him, England skipper Strauss said that Flintoff is the most feared bowler around the world at present.

 

"If you were to list the top three bowlers in world cricket that batsmen don't want to face, Fred is going to be on that list and probably at the top of it. No one enjoys facing him and sometimes he doesn't get his just rewards for the hostility he bowls with," Strauss said

 

"That consistent hostility is unpleasant. It is, quite frankly, unpleasant in the nets and it's not much fun in the middle either," he added.

 

His counterpart Ponting was no different as he went to the extent of comparing Flintoff with fast bowling legends like Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Wasim Akram.

 

"Ambrose wasn't bad at it, Courtney Walsh wasn't bad at it, Wasim Akram wasn't bad at it. We've all encountered very good spells of fast bowling throughout our careers.

 

"We've always said that when he's up and running and bowling as well as he can he's as good as anyone, probably, going around.

 

"If you ask all our batters who faced him this game, they'll say he's right up there with the best quicks in the world," Ponting was quoted as saying in the Australia.