Vaughan blames Flintoff for WC

In a startling admission today, England captain Michael Vaughan has blamed Andrew Flintoff for England’s dismal World Cup showing.

In a candid interview with The Guardian, Vaughan cited the Pedalo incident where the all-rounder had to be rescued at sea after a late night drinking binge as the reason England didn’t perform at the recent World Cup.

“We arrived at the World Cup in a positive frame of mind. We had great preparation in St Vincent but unfortunately incidents happened which affected the team,” Vaughan said.

“You have to be honest. The Fred-alo incident did affect the team. It did affect morale. Those incidents are bound to affect team spirit. Suddenly you’ve got players who have no freedom left. I like to see players enjoy themselves but no one would dare go out after that incident – and you can’t create any spirit then.

“That incident changed the whole atmosphere in the camp. We went into the New Zealand game with a really good attitude but we didn’t play well and after Fred-alo we just started taking it all too seriously.

“That might sound silly but everyone was too tense and desperate. There was no escape – and even on the field you have to be pretty free, especially in one-day cricket.”

These latest comments continue a horror year for Flintoff which started with him leading England for the disastrous Ashes tour in Australia, following with the Pedalo incident at the World Cup and culminating in him breaking down and needing ankle surgery which leaves his cricketing future in doubt. The Ashes of 2005 seem a long way away now.