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The year is 1998. A beefy 6ft 4 inch Englishman going by the name of Andrew Flintoff dons the whites for his nation for the first time. He takes the ball in his hand and charges in to bowl his first delivery in test cricket. He pick up just one wicket, but the crowd and the selectors know the lad has some potential. Skip to 2005, the same lad goes on to score 402 test runs and rips through the Australian line up to pick up 24 wickets in five test matches, single handedly winning the Ashes for England. Andrew Flintoff is quickly hailed as the successor to the legend Ian Botham, courtesy his all-round abilities. Unfortunately those dreams are shattered in 2009 when a knee injury puts him out for almost two seasons and makes the world wonder if this is the end of the road for "Freddie."

The moment Flintoff wore the jersey that bore the three lions and set foot on the field, the world knew he would give more than a hundred percent. His physique akin to that of a giant was enough to send shivers down the spine of any opposition. He mesmerized one and all with his ability to single handedly win matches and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Flintoff certainly looked to be following in the footsteps of England's legendary all-rounder Ian Botham after picking up 226 test wickets in 79 matches and scoring 3845 runs. His one day record was quite remarkable with best bowling figures of 5/19 against the West Indies and a batting average of 32.

All of that though has been in the past, and the future looks clouded and uncertain. For a player to be out for almost two consecutive seasons is a huge blow to not only his form but also his psyche.Whether Freddie can recover from such a long gap will have a lot to do with him winning the battle in his mind. His long forced vacation from the game stands to make him rusty and would require a herculean effort from him to get back in shape. Freddie will have to be patient and maintain the right attitude if he wishes to force his way into an English side that is slowly beginning to look stronger than ever with its first ever World Cup trophy in the bag.

Funnily enough, 'right attitude' and Flintoff haven't been the best of mates. The all-rounder hasn't had the best record in terms of behaviour or attitude off the field. His antics at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, where he and six other players were found drinking on the tour in the middle of the sea, let the whole team and the country down. Flintoff was stripped of his vice-captaincy and was dropped from the next game.

The long and winding road to recovery for him also looks to be one without a dead end. Every time Freddie looks to be heading towards recovery, the road decides to throw up a few sharp turns. He was first expected to be back after his surgery at the start of this season, however a second surgery on the knee proved to be a major setback to his recovery process. Lancashire on the 3rd of August issued a statement saying that Flintoff would be out for the rest of the season which proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Freddie's hopes of a comeback this year. Flintoff had retired from Test cricket straight after the 2009 Ashes series but seemed to have the fire in his belly for One Day Internationals and T20 cricket. Sadly though, fire in the belly alone would not be enough to propel him back into the team.

England as a team, on the other hand, have certainly matured this season. The squad has seen a bunch of new faces and a few blokes who have shown talent in more than one aspect of the game. Although a player like Luke Wright might not exude the same aura as Flintoff, he still has shown flashes of skill and has the ability to add a lot of value to any team with the willow and the red cherry. Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter have already started to cement their place in the limited overs format owing to their skilled fielding and hard hitting. James Anderson and Stuart Broad have consistently impressed with the ball and Broad has been successful to some extent with the bat too. With an England side budding with new talent and young blood, the 32-year old Flintoff will find the task of making it back to the squad as steep as the climb to the top of Mt. Everest.

All is not lost for the star all-rounder though. The Chennai Super Kings showed a lot of interest in Flintoff for the Champions League, certainly showing signs that he would be a much desired figure in further seasons. The IPL has also proved to be the redemption ground for a number of cricketers like Shane Bond, Scott Styris and Chaminda Vaas. Freddie has also been a great servant for his county Lancashire and has been one of their brightest talents. Lancashire would certainly want him to stick around to playing the game for some years to come. His international career might slowly but surely be heading towards the end but as far as his cricketing career goes, there is still a long way to go.

Milestones that defined the Career of Flintoff till date-

• Year 2000 - 135 not out vs Surrey to take his county Lancashire to the Quarter Final of the Natwest Trophy
• Year 2003 - 95 against South Africa to put on a 99 run ninth wicket partnership with Harmison which swung the game in England's favour.
• Year 2004 - 5/58 against West Indies at Barbados
• Year 2005 - 7 wickets and 141 runs in the Edgbaston Test against Australia, one of his finest all-round performances
• Year 2005 - Shared the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC player of the year with South African Jaques Kallis
• Year 2005 - BBC Sports Person of the Year
• Year 2005 - Broke Ian Botham's record of six sixes in an ashes test match by sending 10 out of the park.
• Flintoff is the 2nd highest wicket taker for England in One Day Internationals
• Flintoff holds the record for the highest number of sixes hit by any batsman for England beating Ian Botham's record of 67
• Year 2005 - Received the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World award
• Year 2009 - Bags his best ODI bowling figures of 5/19

File Photograph Copyright: Blnguyen