'I'm worth more' - Andrew Flintoff quits head coach role and aims parting shot over salary

Andrew Flintoff has left his role as the head coach of the Northern Superchargers - suggesting their owners undervalued him.

The England cricket legend has led the Hundred franchise for the past two seasons, with this being his first-ever senior coaching position.

In the 2024 edition, Flintoff led the side to a fourth-placed finish, before reaching the Eliminator this summer.

But he has now confirmed he will not be returning for a third campaign, after failing to agree terms with the Superchargers' new owners, the Sun Group.

The Indian media group are one of eight new investors in the franchises who will take charge next season.

They paid just over £100million for a 100 per cent stake in the Headingley-based team during the tournament’s equity sale earlier this year.

And while Flintoff held talks with the new ownership, he revealed discussions broke down after he turned down their contract offer.

The former England captain revealed the news on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, co-hosted by Superchargers spinner Adil Rashid, and hinted he would have liked to stay on in his role.

What has Flintoff said about his departure?

Flintoff said: “I genuinely don’t do it for the money - although it’s nice - but I’m worth more than just over a quarter of the salary of other head coaches.

“We have new owners and I spoke to them and said: ‘Yeah, fine, make us an offer.’

“I wasn’t encouraged they wanted me anyway, and you want to feel valued. So I said that it’s not going to work for me and they weren’t going to move on it.

"So, unfortunately, I'm not going to do it, which is sad.

"The past two years, I felt we were building somewhere really nice, and I'd have loved to have seen it through."

The news shocked podcast host Rashid, with the Superchargers' star man responding: "You'll be missed. I wasn't expecting that."

The Sun Group have since responded, with a spokesperson revealing they had offered Flintoff a pay rise, though the scale of this was not disclosed.

They said: "We had discussions with Freddie and extended an offer, which was an increase over his current salary at Northern Superchargers.

"While we would have loved to have him on board, we respect his decision."

While Flintoff will no longer continue in his role with the Superchargers, he holds another coaching position in charge of the England Lions development side.

This will be the 47-year-old's next priority, as he prepares to oversee the squad for a match against England during theAshes build-up.

Flintoff certainly knows a thing or two about this, having been part of England's famous 2005 Ashes win in his storied career which saw him play 79 Tests for his country.

As for his future in the Hundred, he could well draw interest from other franchises given his impressive stint with the Superchargers.

The Yorkshire team finished bottom of the standings in the year before he took over, before finishing fourth and third in the following two seasons.

There have already been personnel changes in the Hundred, with London Spirit luring head coach Andy Flower away from Trent Rockets last week, and further movement is expected.

Click here to read article