Andrew Flintoff has stepped down as head coach of the England Lions as the coaching upheaval at the ECB continues.

Flintoff, one of England’s greatest all-rounders, had spent nearly two years in charge of the second-string side after being persuaded into coaching by Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket.

Well liked by the players, Flintoff had drawn plaudits for his work in developing some of the brightest young talents in England, but is due to take up a new role with the Sydney Thunder in Australia’s Big Bash this winter.

“Unfortunately I’ve made the decision to step away from my role with the Lions. Not only have I enjoyed my time having the opportunity to work with the best young cricketers in the country, but have taken great pride in seeing them develop.

“I’d like to thank the coaches and staff for all their passion, tireless work and support they give everyday. In particular, Ed Barney who I’ve loved working with and was so lucky to have as a performance director, and obviously Rob (Key) for trusting me with one of the most important roles in English cricket.

“I can’t wait to get started with the Thunder later in the year and see where coaching takes me.”

His exit follows the removal of Brendon McCullum as Test head coach, with fellow New Zealander Stephen Fleming appointed. McCullum continues to oversee England’s white-ball teams, while Marcus Trescothick is in interim charge of the Test team for the upcoming Pakistan series.

While no replacement for Flintoff has yet been confirmed, Mike Yardy – the former Sussex and England all-rounder – will step in for the four-day Professional County Club Select XI match against Pakistan, which begins at Beckenham on Wednesday 12 August.

Flintoff’s departure comes just a week after Key had praised his coaching talent highly, and suggested he could well be a contender to be England coach in the future.

“It [the Test vacancy] just came too soon, but he should be someone that goes on to become an outstanding head coach,” Key said of his former teammate. “When you talk about who could be the best person, Andrew Flintoff – in the future, with a bit more experience under him – could do it, and him not being there at times in the Lions gives opportunity for other coaches, and it’s for us to choose who comes in to do that.

“I think he’s an unsung hero. A lot of these young players that are coming through, you think how hard it is when they’ve got T10s, T20s, ILT20, SA20. We’ve got to go to a player and say, ‘We want you to come and commit to a red-ball tour of Australia, we want you to come and play 50-over cricket in Abu Dhabi’.

“Having Andrew Flintoff there has made a massive, massive difference in being able to do that, and I think he deserves the respect and the thanks for doing it.”

Flintoff, known as “Freddie”, has forged a successful career as a television host and personality since his retirement from playing. He reached a settlement with the BBC after suffering serious injuries following a crash while filming Top Gear in 2022.

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Best friends broke apart on WWE SmackDown, as two all-time friends and rivals left their situation tense on the blue brand. It’s uncertain what’s next between the two stars, as things currently are very heated and tense.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had a major confrontation on WWE SmackDown

Kevin Owens arrived on the scene on WWE SmackDown just as Sami Zayn was confronting Nick Aldis backstage. Zayn was naturally unhappy with the addition of Kevin Owens and Gunther to what was supposed to be his singles match against Finn Balor. But with Owens’ arrival, things were thrown out of whack, and it was the returning star who got the win and the opportunity to face CM Punk.

The backstage face-off between the two was tense. Despite them being best friends, Zayn felt wronged and demanded that Owens apologize to him for what happened and acknowledge that it ruined things for him. While the No.1 Contender did exactly that, the fact that he then didn’t go on to say that he wanted Zayn’s help to face CM Punk didn’t sit right with the star, and he left offended.

Owens was left frustrated, walking off alone and muttering that he had only been back for six days.

Owens and Zayn also subtly acknowledged that the star had been waiting to face Punk forever, referring to the real-life heat between the two stars.

Zayn is unlikely to be happy to let the title picture not involve him after Kevin Owens’ return. Now, though, the star’s best friend is in the way of him getting another title shot, so it’s likely that he will inadvertently, or on purpose, cost Owens the chance to win the title when he gets his title shot in two weeks’ time. Fans will have to wait and see what happens.