"Didn't want to play after attacks"

[Params7]

:punter:

Royal pwnage.

[Rajiv]

:punter:

:haha:

[DomainK]

:punter:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Laaloo]

This is the mother of all PWNAGES:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Guest gaurav_indian]

26/11: Flintoff & co forced to return to India 26/11: Flintoff & co forced to return to India

Andrew Flintoff felt "betrayed" and "embarrassed" by the ECB's stance in the wake last year's Mumbai terror attacks, and says England's players were pressured into returning to India purely for financial reasons. In his forthcoming autobiography, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, Flintoff takes a swipe at ECB chairman Giles Clarke, saying it was "wrong" to put him in such a difficult situation. "The ECB told us about the money they would lose by not playing the Test series and they emphasised the impact that would have on cricket in England, on county cricket and grassroots cricket. Basically they were telling us that if we went home some lad in Preston might not be able to play cricket. "From the word go I thought that trying to put that sort of pressure on us was wrong. The ECB's desire to forge closer links with the Board of Control for Cricket in India had been widely publicised. "The Indian organisation had become very powerful with the success of the IPL and the launch of the Champions League Twenty 20 tournaments. It was also an open secret that the ECB wanted to get the Indian players over for their own Twenty20 tournament and I got the impression they were frightened to death of jeopardising that. "I asked them outright whether this was about money and they denied it, but I wasn't convinced then and nothing since has persuaded me otherwise." Flintoff said he and other players were genuinely afraid about the security situation in India. "Stories about terrorists targeting westerners didn't help. A few of the lads were genuinely scared. "How were we to know they wouldn't target a cricket team? Our fears were justified a few months later when the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked in Lahore. We were high-profile westerners and it didn't make sense for us to put ourselves in a vulnerable position. I hated the idea of putting my family through three weeks of worry." After then-captain Kevin Pietersen and other senior players agreed to return to India, Flintoff and his close friend Steve Harmison reluctantly agreed to do the same. "Harmy came to my room and we just sat there and smiled at each other. We knew we had to say we were going. There was no way out of it. If the other lads who had stayed behind in that meeting had voiced their concerns sooner, I would really have pressed for us not to go back. "I felt as though I'd lost. I was being backed into doing something I didn't want to do. Back in the meeting room I told everyone that I was agreeing to go back for my team-mates. "Then I turned to Hugh [Morris, ECB performance director] and told him I was proud to play for England but I was embarrassed by my employers. I let rip at Hugh, not to have a go at him but because I wanted him to pass my feelings on to the ECB."

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=26/11:+Flintoff+&+co+forced+to+return+to+India&artid=c0JnRlWMsm0=&SectionID=Aw%7Cqo8JJkxA=&MainSectionID=XT7e3Zkr/lw=&SectionName=%7C%7CWM0BI9WGM=&SEO=Andrew%20Flintoff,%20Mumbai%20terror%20attacks,%20ECB

[Params7]

Funny Flintoff is saying all this now to get publicity for his book. Wonder why he came to India to play IPL then?

[Guest gaurav_indian]

:punter:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Dark Warrior]

Gambit :adore::adore: ultimate pwnage :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

[Dinx - the Jinx]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: i thought only ponting and some his mates within the team are idiots.. now it turns out that even aussie are bigger idiots.. nice catch gambo... where is our man punter.. has he gone under covers? epic pwnage it is... :punter:

[Dinx - the Jinx]

he is right... Y wud he wanna risk his life by comin to india?

its definitely not a country where sports people kick the brains out of innocent cabbies... for go clean the mess in ur house..

[CricketGirl]

:punter:

gambit ki jai ho!! but on a serious note its sad to see that he seems to off the idea of playing in India now! :(

[yoda]

man this is the ultimate pwnage. never laughed so much. :hysterical:

[patriot]

Andrew Flintoff has revealed that he didn't want to play the Test series in India after last year's Mumbai terror attacks. More...

Flintoff is a one shameless mercenary like his partner in arms Pietersen - the ECB forced him to play the tests, but who the feck forced the walking hospital to come to the IPL in a few months ? Or did he feel his family would not be able to afford bread if he dint make IPL trip with a broken body ? :finger:

[BigGreenMachine]

hahaha oh wow newman...what the hell :P

[Master Blaster]

:punter:

:muhaha::muhaha::muhaha::muhaha::muhaha:

[Anakin]

OMFG :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Zelig]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: On a serious note, newmanthewatever, can you please change your avatar? I am a big fan of Ed Norton and coz of you I am starting to dislike him.:(( Thanks.:hatsoff:

[zubinpepsi]

bump the noob is back to troll again now tht India had lost.. welcome back.... how did this Sh!t taste??

[coffee_rules]

His fav teams are Aus and Pak. That should give a clue..

[Dinx - the Jinx]

bump the noob is back to troll again now tht India had lost.. welcome back.... how did this Sh!t taste??

let him do it man.. after amits, i think he's the biggest joke on ICF.. the pwnage on this thread makes me forget yday's loss.. he's like a comedy track or an item number in a gripping movie..