Corey Flintoff, the eldest son of former England captain and Ashes 2005 talisman Andrew, has signed a two-year rookie contract with Kent.
Flintoff is a fast bowling all-rounder just like his famous father and the 19-year-old putting pen to paper with Kent means he is set to join younger brother Rocky on the county cricket circuit this year.
The deal Flintoff has signed makes him eligible to feature for Kent under the tutelage of head coach Adam Hollioake as well as juggle his studies at university for at least the next couple of seasons.
“I’m delighted to be joining Kent to continue my development as a player under Adam Hollioake and the excellent coaching staff here,” said Flintoff, who has been training with Kent in the last few days.
“The lads in the dressing room have been so welcoming to me this week and there’s a great atmosphere here.
“I’m excited for what’s next for me and I know that Kent is the right place for me to make the step up to first-team cricket.”
Flintoff progressed through the age groups at Lancashire, where 16-year-old Rocky is making a name for himself, and featured for the Red Rose’s Second XI on multiple occasions last summer.
Having linked up with Kent in the last week, he sent down four tidy overs in their two-day warm-up against Essex on Friday at Canterbury ahead of the beginning of the Rothesay County Championship.
“Corey is an extremely exciting young player and has great all-round ability to score runs and take wickets,” said Simon Cook, Kent’s director of cricket.
“He is a very hard worker and I know that he is extremely determined to make a name for himself in professional cricket. We’re delighted that he feels that he can do this as a Kent cricketer.”
Andrew Flintoff made more than 200 appearances for England between 1998 and 2009 and is widely regarded as one of their best ever all-rounders, while he has in the past couple of years turned his hand to coaching.
He has most recently overseen England Lions, where Rocky, having signed his first professional deal with Lancashire last year after a breakout summer, broke his dad’s record by becoming the team’s youngest-ever centurion against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane in January.
