Ian Botham says it is time English cricket stopped talked about finding the new "Beefy" and started concentrating on discovering another Andrew Flintoff.
For over a decade, every promising English all-rounder has been compared to Botham, whose single-handed destruction of Australia during the home Ashes tour of 1981 has gone down in the annals of the game.
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"For years, every all-rounder England picked was burdened with the task of becoming the next Ian Botham," Botham wrote in his column for Friday's Daily Mirror. "But the Beefy show is now defunct: England can now start looking for the new Andrew Flintoff."
"We've had to wait a while for Freddie [Flintoff] to fulfil his potential but he's getting better all the time. I'm his number one fan and I'm probably enjoying his success more than he is."
Flintoff was hastily made captain for the Indian tour this month after Michael Vaughan was forced out through injury.
After losing the second match, Flintoff led from the front with bat and ball to help England square the series with a 212-run win in Mumbai on Wednesday.
"Flintoff was rightly named player of the series in India for his dynamic leadership, selfless bowling and consistency with the bat after being thrown in the deep end as caretaker captain," wrote Botham.
"His stock is higher than ever and he was exemplary in every respect. Even if Michael Vaughan is not fit by the start of the home series against Sri Lanka in May, England have a ready-made replacement."
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