Cricket story by Vinnie Mitchell, Tue, 13 Dec 2005 01:04:00 GMT


Andrew Flintoff's legendary deeds on the Ashes arena earned him the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. He received his award from boyhood hero Ian "Beefy" Botham at 3 am local time in Pakistan.

The award was given away at the Marquee Room of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore early in the morning on a day when England takes on Pakistan in the second one-dayer. Flintoff had starred in the first one with 72 blistering runs and three wickets. "I only found out (I'd won) about two minutes before - I'd have looked a bit daft staying up until three o'clock in the morning for nothing," Flintoff said on receiving the award.

Commenting on his Ashes performance, he said, "The way the public got behind us was great and everyone in the side put in a real performance." He was also thrilled on receiving the award from Botham, who returned yesterday after attending his father's funeral, "To receive it from Ian, my boyhood hero, makes it all the more sweet," Flintoff said. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me."

The England team also won the Team of the Year award for thrilling the whole nation. Accepting the award on behalf of the team, Captain Michael Vaughan said, "It was just great for cricket to get that type of response . . . the British public were a huge inspiration for the way the team played."

Vaughan also reserved special praise for Flintoff saying that he was an inspiration for the whole team, "He's had an incredible year and he came close to winning it last year. He really has performed to an amazing level and was a real key part of why we won the Ashes this summer." Vaughan also said that comparing Flintoff with Botham was not fair since they belonged to different eras. "They're both brilliant cricketers," he concluded.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Sports Personality: Andrew Flintoff
Team: England cricket
Coach: Jose Mourinho
Lifetime achievement: Pele
Overseas: Shane Warne
Young Personality: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
Helen Rollason Award: Geoff Thomas
Unsung Hero: Trevor Collins

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