Australian media hail Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff's inspiring performance, leading England to their first Ashes win at Lord's after 75 years, was soaked in praise by the Australian media.

The newspapers were unequivocal in their praise of Flintoff, saying the injured all-rounder took England to victory 'on one leg'. Flintoff defied the pain in his right knee to script the historic 115-run win for the hosts.

"Andrew Flintoff's farewell stuns tourists," says The Australian. Flintoff "snuffed out Australian hopes" of an unlikely comeback. "The Australians have now seen the momentum ripped away from them by Flintoff's farewell heroics."

"Beaten by the man on one knee", said The Sydney Morning Herald, next to a picture of Flintoff, arms wide, one knee bent to the Lord's grass after taking one of his five wickets.

In his Sydney Morning Herald column, eminent columnist Peter Roebuck wrote: "Inevitably Freddie Flintoff was the successful bowler, a larger-than-life figure responding to the battle cries issued by a large and transfixed crowd. Flintoff is twice the bowler when he is given the new ball."

"Fiery Flintoff spell breaks Poms' 75-year Lord's jinx," Herald Sun announced on its back page.

"Flintoff lords it over Australia in historic win," the Age newspaper said, along with "Flintoff wins battle of wounded knee.' "Not for the first time, Andrew Flintoff has broken Australian hearts in an Ashes series."

"It reminded me a bit of (Ian) Botham in the 1980s... Freddie just had a superb test match," former Australia bowler Geoff Lawson told Sky News.

Last updated on Jul 21^st, 2009 at 17:58 pm IST--IANS