Freddie, Steady, Go?

In 1998 Brazil were the best football team in the world. Then their star player and talisman suffered some form of seizure just hours before the world cup final, was shunted onto the pitch anyway and Brazil got their arses kicked.

In 2003 England were the best rugby union team in the world. Then their arguably most important player, Richard Hill, got injured and England were pretty mediocre in their first few games of the world cup. But they waited, rested him properly and brought him back when the time was right which paved the way for Wilkinson’s right boot and all that.

In 2009, England aren’t the best cricket team in the world but they do have a damn good chance of beating Australia in The Ashes for the second time in four years. Their star player is injured, but has so far played through the pain and is fighting to make the start line for tomorrow’s fourth test.

A half-fit Freddie is still a pretty good player and more importantly, any kind of Freddie still scares the crap out of the Australians. But a Freddie who breaks down on the first morning of the test could rule himself out of the rest of this one, and the decider at the Oval as well.

So what do England do?

The sensible option would surely be rest him, supercharge his batteries one last time and unleash a demi-god at the Oval in two weeks time. But the sensible option ignores the fact that England could wrap up the series in the next five days and not even have to worry about the fifth test. And the sensible option ignores the most obvious question – how do you drop the man?

Seriously?

He wants to play, the whole of England wants him to play and even his own teammates are struggling to make a rational decision. Despite the fact that he’s not England’s best bowler, or batsman, or arguably even their best player anymore, he still has an incredible aura. And when that’s combined with his sheer colossal willpower and uncanny ability to make something happen when it’s most needed, he simply becomes undroppable. Especially against the Australians.

So goes the argument, and it’s a pretty good one. Unless you remember what happened in 1998 and 2003 that is.