Flintoff was a good influence on CSK: Fleming

Chennai SuperKings coach Stephen Fleming says that Flintoff was a 'good influence' on the team.

Andrew Flintoff may not have justified his USD 1.55 million price tag but the star England all-rounder,forced out of the Indian Premier League due to injury,was a 8220;good influence8221; on the Chennai Super Kings,according to coach Stephen Fleming.

8220;He bowled very well for us in the second game. But AB de Villiers had his day. He Flintoff has been a good influence as well. It8217;s such a fine line between having a good day and a bad day,8221; Fleming said.

Flintoff had to withdraw from the tournament due to a knee injury,which would require surgery. The all-rounder,costliest in IPL along with England teammate Kevin Pietersen,could not live up to the pre-tournament hype during his very short stint with the team.

But Fleming is not complaining. 8220;We are not going to get carried away. Flintoff is one of the great all-round players certainly I have seen. So,no concerns there,8221; he told the IPL8217;s official website.

Fleming,who has no previous experience in coaching,said he has settled into his new job and though the challenges of being a coach are different,he has not found it tough to adapt. 8220;The change hasn8217;t been too much because I still have the playing aspect of my game if any of the boys get injured or lose some form. I still have the playing aspect. So the coaching side of things is great,8221; he said.

8220;I am lucky that I have a good management team around me to help me out. As far as the practice and the skill side of things,confident that I know enough having been around enough to provide that. We have got a great work ethic and that8217;s very good. So we are a happy camp,8221; he added.

On opener Matthew Hayden8217;s brilliant form,Fleming joked,8221;Well he has been surfing really well. His surfing form has carried over to his batting form.8221;

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8220;A relaxed Matthew Hayden and in good form is very good company and good for the side. It8217;s an example of how you can have a different approach to cricket without slogging yourself in the nets. And he has certainly provided a leadership role in that,8221; he added.

Asked how long he would continue being Chennai8217;s coach,Fleming quipped,8221;If I keep losing,it probably won8217;t not be much longer. I kind of hope to be around for a while. I joined IPL and to be able to finish the latter part of my career doing this8230;am very lucky.

8220;So if we can get some wins. And I will be pleading with the team for the next few games to try and get some a few wins,so I can stay a lot longer.8221;