Flintoff parts ways with England amid friction with captain Jos Buttler

Andrew Flintoff, a former cricket player for England, will not be coaching the country against Australia in the forthcoming white-ball series.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has chosen to give interim white-ball coach Marcus Trescothick complete command over the team for this series, according to a report by The Telegraph.

Since the previous year, Flintoff has been associated with the England white-ball team. He assisted in coaching the team during the T20 World Cup 2024, which took place in the USA and the Caribbean. England's campaign was dismal despite his efforts; they struggled in the league stage, losing to Australia and Scotland, before losing to India in the semi-final.

Flintoff will be rested for the forthcoming five-match ODI series and three-match T20I series against Australia. Flintoff hasn't had a full-time deal with the England squad, thus his involvement with them has only been temporary. He assumed his first head coaching position earlier this year with The Hundred 2024, guiding the squad to a respectable five wins and two loses season, yet just missing out on the playoffs.

During the T20 World Cup, it was rumored that Flintoff and England's white-ball skipper, Jos Buttler, didn't get along well. Flintoff, however, has devoted the last year to his coaching career, having first worked as an England scout, then as a consultant for age-group teams, and finally as a member of the national white-ball squad.

Flintoff, who isn't being considered for the permanent white-ball head coach position, recently expressed his deep love for cricket and his gratitude for being involved in the game as a coach.

"Cricket has given me so much. It’s all I ever wanted to do as a kid and I got the opportunity to live my dream. I feel really lucky to be back here and I want the lads to cherish playing. When you finish playing, you look back and it passes so quickly, but you just take time when you’re out there, just to have a look around and take it in and live in the moment," Flintoff said.

"And that’s what I’m doing these days. It’s living in the moment and enjoying it. And that’s something I want the players to do, and the teams that play under me to do as well," he further added.