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Home  » Sports » Mumbai win a great boost: Flintoff

Mumbai win a great boost: Flintoff

By Harish Kotian in Delhi
March 27, 2006 19:48 IST
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England captain Andrew Flintoff said the victory in the third Test against India in Mumbai was a shot in the arm for his depleted side and he's looking to extend the good showing in the upcoming One-Day International series that begins on Tuesday.

"The events in Mumbai were fantastic. Winning the Test match in the way that we did was a great boost," he said in New Delhi on Monday.

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Back with the team after returning home to see his new-born son, Flintoff said, "Getting home for three days, getting away from cricket and seeing the family… it was great. Coming back here I am feeling fresh and looking forward to the one-dayers."

The England all-rounder had revealed in his autobiography last year that he was hit by bullet shots while fielding on the boundary during a one-day international in Delhi in January 2002. He, however, tried to play down the incident when asked whether he is worried about it being repeated.

"I am not worried about it, to be honest. It was a small, minor incident that happened last time. We have got a lot of security with us this time.

"There are so many positives about playing a one-day series in India, but this is the only thing being talked about. I think it's an opportunity to play seven games in front of packed houses and knowledgable cricket fans, rather than worry about what may have happened a few years ago," he added.

The 33-year-old believes that his young side has a good chance of creating an impression in the one-day series too after beating India by 212 runs in the third Test at Mumbai to level the three-match series at 1-1.

"We are a young, talented side and we showed that in the Test series. A few of the lads who came in made use of the opportunity and performed well. We have a good chance in the seven one-dayers; we got to do the basics well.

"The events that happened before the Test series, with many of our senior players not being around, we saw it as an opportunity for young players. The players came in and performed. Alastair Cook, Owais Shah and Monty [Panesar] performed well and showed that English cricket has good depth around the country," Flintoff added.

The Lancashire all-rounder also refused to read too much into the loss suffered by his team in the one-day warm-up game in Jaipur on Saturday.

"Even before the Test series, we lost a three-day warm-up game in Baroda, so I am not looking too much into this defeat," he said.

The hard-hitting right-hander conceded it is baffling that while the team had excelled in Tests, it did not produce the expected results in one-dayers.

England were outclassed in the one-day series in Pakistan, losing 3-2.

"Our Test side has done well, but our one-day side has not done well as it was supposed to do. We have got to play our strengths as individuals. We have got a young, talented side and we have got to perform together as a team and we have to do it over the course of seven one-day internationals," he said.

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