Mark Smit
19 June 2008
Johannesburg — THE South African cricketers have a vested interest in the fortunes of English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.
The big all-rounder from Lancashire attained iconic status in England after playing a leading role in England's Ashes triumph in 2005.
Since then he has been afflicted by all manner of injuries and scandals. He has only recently returned to top cricket after the latest round of surgery on his ankle and, while England's captain Michael Vaughan is quite unequivocal about wanting the all-rounder back for the series against SA, other commentators in England fear that he has not had enough top-class cricket and could be rusty.
They are also uncertain that he can ever be the force he was during the Ashes.
Arthur is under no illusions. "He undoubtedly adds another dimension to their bowling," he said from the luxurious Pezula resort yesterday, where the national team is cosseted prior to its departure for England on June 24. "I know their other fast bowlers, like (Jimmy) Anderson and (Ryan) Sidebottom have been bowling well but neither of them is out-and-out quick, while Flintoff certainly is.
"He is bound to make a big difference if he is back."
Asked if he thought the pitches in England that the Tests against New Zealand were played on were bouncier than usual, Arthur said they might have been.
"They may have done that against New Zealand but they would be pretty stupid to do that against us with our attack. I don't think they'll be preparing bouncy tracks for our series."
Arthur believes England's Achilles heel could be their top-order batting. "All of them are under pressure," he said, while admitting that South African export Kevin Pietersen's recent return to form was ominous.
"He batted very well in the last Test and he has continued into the one-dayers, so he is obviously coming back to form.
"But we have talked about ways of dealing with him and all the other batsmen."
The players spent yesterday in fitness testing and Arthur admitted that some just recently returned from the inaugural Indian Premier League Twenty 20 tournament -- which was an emphatic success, thanks in no small measure to the contributions of South Africans such as Graeme Smith and Albie Morkel -- were looking a bit jaded.
"Some of them are tired, but hey, they are also very excited about the tour to England, so they will pick up soon enough. I'm not too worried about them."
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