It was good to see England cricket vice-captain Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff maintaining the traditions of touring English middle-managers everywhere last week.
After a tough day at the office – in this case losing a World Cup match to New Zealand – Freddie gathered his colleagues together, found them beer and girls and, to complete the entertainment, capsized a pedalo in the Caribbean Sea at four in the morning. Nothing new in this kind of behaviour, as any regular attendee of the CIPD’s annual conference will attest.
However, instead of being commended on his team spirit, refusal to be subdued and swimming skills, Flintoff was stripped of his vice-captaincy, dropped for a game and made to apologise to the nation. Guru would rather see an apology for abject batting displays from England’s top order than for a bit of dodgy pedalo-steering. Flintoff’s employers need to get their priorities right.
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