Boycott calls for promoting free-spirited Flintoff up the order

London, Apr 11 (UNI) Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott has lashed out at Zimbabwe-born coach Duncan Fletcher for juggling with the team's most influential all-rounder Andrew Flintoff's batting order in the Caribbean World Cup and said ''Freddie should be moved up the order''.

While writing his column in The Daily Telegraph, Boycott said England still have not found out the right team combination and their batting order was also in question at this vital juncture of the tournament.

''This is crunch time for England. Three games to go, three wins needed. And I still don't think they have got the team right. If I were in charge, the first thing I would do is promote Andrew Flintoff up the order, because he certainly isn't making any runs at No 6,'' he wrote in his column.

''The batting order should not have been in question at such a vital time. Fletcher has had months - years to sort out his best formation. But he has ended up picking two openers in his squad namely Ed Joyce and Andrew Strauss, who will scare nobody and now they are going into the three most important one-day games of their lives with a question mark hanging over who is going to open, and where their most influential allrounder would bat,'' he added.

The 67-year-old cricketer turned commentator was of the view that Flintoff should bat at number three position instead of number six as he is an instinctive, free-spirited player who enjoys to dictate terms.

''Freddie needs to move up to No 3. He likes the ball coming on to him, and there has not been too much movement in the first few overs during this whole World Cup. Pitches are flat and the ball hardly swings. He is an instinctive, free-spirited player who needs to be able to swing freely and dictate terms,'' said Boycott.

''He is not the kind of player who can manoeuvre the ball around. He is not a deep thinker about the game. That is not a criticism, because his uninhibited approach has worked brilliantly at times. It is just the way he plays,'' he added.

UNI