Flintoff named BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Andrew Flintoff has been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year following his leading role in England's Ashes success. He becomes the first cricketer since Ian Botham in 1981 to win the award which is picked by the British public.

Flintoff collected the trophy, presented by Botham, at the England team hotel in Lahore looking slightly bleary eyed - not surprising given that is was 3am local time. He thanked the support of his team-mates, family and management team and was joined in a live link to London by Shane Warne, who had earlier won the Overseas Personality award.

Flintoff told the BBC the summer had a huge impact on his life. "It has been unbelievable since we won the Ashes. Simple things have changed. Everybody knows who you are, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find places to escape it. But there is no danger of my not concentrating on cricket. I'm comfortable on the pitch, and that will never change. I have to remember what I do for a living."

The Ashes success dominated the evening as the England side won the team award, which was accepted by Michael Vaughan after his early return from Pakistan with his knee injury. Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Ashley Giles joined Vaughan in representing England at the event.


Flintoff is the fourth cricketer to win the award since it started. The others were Jim Laker (1956), David Steele (1975) and Botham (1981).


I think this bloody time for some cricketer to won it

hehehe well deserved i reckon!

woooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Personality? Is that a joke

??? What u mean only football player deserve it??. While most of them are just too overrated....

He means Freddie Flintoff has the personality of an ice cube...

Yeah and he does deserve it. Not only his he one of the best Cricketers in the world he also has a very sporting attitude towards the game. With all the sledging involved in the Ashes he rose above it and played both hard, but fair. Good man, and Lancashire lad like myself too!

cricket isn't even a real sport.

the scots who just won the elephant polo world cup for the 2nd year running should have got it

Yeah its from a person who think a drinking is a great sports lol

No idea what exactly that mean... but on the field.. he is the fire.... defnetly the main reason for England holding the Ashes.... he did unthinkable for sure...

What Carli is actually tryng to say, is that Mr Freddie Flintoff doesn't have much of a personality. What he done on the field was excellent and was definately a front-runner for the award. However in my opinion, if we are talking about endurance sports, then that woman who sailed round the world on her own, in her yacht, should of got it. The only reason she didnt get it, is because there are more cricket fans out there, than sailing. If sailing was a bigger 'sport' then she would, or could, have have had a better chance of winning.