Flintoff is a bit of a modern-day coach: Short ahead of The Hundred

While The Hundred hasn’t really lived up to its billing in terms of global viewership, the players have had completely contrasting opinions on the tournament. Australian all-rounder Matthew Short, who left the Major League Cricket (MLC) gig early to join the Northern Superchargers, called the tournament ‘bloody fun’. 

"The Superchargers showed some faith in me, retaining me for this year, and I thought, 'alright, I'll commit to these guys 100 percent. It's a bloody fun tournament," Short told ESPNCricinfo. 

One of the most exciting news to emerge from the build-up to this year’s The Hundred has been Andrew Flintoff’s ‘anticipated’ debut as the head coach. While Flintoff has worked in the coaching side of things previously, the 2024 edition will be the first time the former English all-rounder will be a full-time head coach. 

"He's [Flintoff] been great: he's probably even more excited than the players at the moment. He loves to be on this side of the fence here at Headingley. I'm sure everyone is going to get around Freddie and help him out. We love having him around.”

Short, excitedly, also hailed Flintoff as a ‘modern-day coach’ before expressing his desire to work closely with the all-rounder. 

"From what I've heard, he's a bit of the modern-day coach now, especially in white-ball cricket. It feels like he's got a lot of fun and a lot of energy to bring. He's going to be nice and relaxed, and I'm sure it's going to be a really nice environment."

Thus far, the Northern Superchargers men’s side haven't quite lit up the tournament in any past editions, finishing fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively, in three seasons. However, under the captaincy of Short (stand-in) and Flintoff, they hope to turn a corner. 

"How we want to play as a team is pretty hard to work out in a couple of days, so we're going to have to learn on the go in that regard. The guys have played enough cricket to know what to do and know what they're doing personally."

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