He will leave after the first Test.
England’s Specialist Skill Consultant, Tim Southee, is expected to leave the squad midway through the Ashes 2025-26. England are set to tour Australia for the five-match Test series, scheduled to start in Perth in November this year.
Southee, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, had joined England’s Test squad ahead of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at home. He had replaced James Anderson in the coaching staff across formats. His deal with the England Cricket Board (ECB) also included a white-ball series against the West Indies and five Tests against India.
The Kiwi cricketer will remain unavailable to the Ben Stokes-led side after the conclusion of the first Test, according to the Barmy Army’s X post. The former New Zealand pacer is all set to play for the Sharjah Warriors in the upcoming season of the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025-26 season. The next edition of the ILT20 has been preponed to a December-January window from the January-February window. This is to avoid the date clashing with the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in February 2026 in India.
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The Ashes 2025 is a crucial series for England and another tough assignment for the visitors. Flintoff’s inclusion will help England work on players’ skills and the mental side of things. Notably, Flintoff has been working with the England Lions as a coach and will travel with Australia for the shadow tour.
Flintoff, who is currently working with Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2025, is well aware of the pressure through which players go during the Ashes. He had played a crucial role in England’s 2005 Ashes win.
England could also rope in James Anderson, who holds the record for most Test wickets by a pacer. Anderson had worked with the England squad for a short duration as bowling coach. However, the pressure would be on the Three Lions to win the Ashes after a decade since their last Ashes triumph came in 2015 at home. England have only won one Ashes series in Australia since 1987, a 3-1 series win in 2010-11.
