Ed Smith says that when he saw Andrew Flintoff smashing the South Africans to all parts at the Oval in 2003, he knew it was the start of something special. Introduction by Roshan Gede.

Andrew Flintoff’s series-defining heroics in the Ashes 2005 often overshadow his other moments of brilliance during his 11-year-long international career. It was his consistent run with the bat during the 2003 home series against South Africa, which according to Ed Smith, the former England and Kent batter, marked the making of Flintoff: the game-changer.

With the series on the line in the fifth Test at the Oval, Marcus Trescothick (219) and Graham Thorpe (124) had led England’s response to South Africa’s first innings score of 484. However, when the former departed with the game pretty much in balance, Flintoff produced a stroke-filled 95 to hand England a decisive advantage and with it, set up a comfortable nine-wicket win.

Smith revisits the tale when it all happened.

Our advantage was not secure by the time Flintoff came in. In those situations, when the game is in the balance, there’s always one side of your character that thinks, ‘Just play it cautiously, don’t take any risks, let’s creep ahead and see what happens’. Then of course when you’re presented with the other argument – which is all about being bold, being aggressive, smashing it and putting pressure on the opposition – it all seems inevitable. Of course that’s the right answer!

The way Freddie played that day was just extraordinary. The sixes were going so far, and he wasn’t hitting people who couldn’t bowl – it was Ntini. It was a remarkable innings.

Fred had been part of the under 19s set-up that I’d played in. He was injured that year but everyone knew him, he was a famous talent. And then there were the early years of his career, when he was picked young in 1998, had injuries and was in and out of the side. Although I hadn’t been close to that, you could tell in 2003 that he was starting to get it all together. His value in Test cricket was starting to become extraordinary.

I remember his intensity with the ball at Trent Bridge, and then this innings – even though he got a hundred at Lord’s in a game that England lost – convinced me that he was about to have a remarkable spell in his career. It would go on to be a period of his career that will stand in comparison with the best.

It’s lovely when you see the beginning of the story. As someone with an interest in excellence and top players, that innings was really exciting. I thought, ‘Yeah, this is going to happen now’. And it did.

First published in March 2017