Freddie Flintoff speaks publicly for the first time since horror Top Gear crash as he presents England cap

A new video shows Freddie Flintoff speaking publicly for the first time since his Top Gear crash last year.

The footage, released by the England Cricket Board shows the cricketer turned TV presenter making a heartfelt speech in front of the current national side.

One time Lancashire favourite Freddie, whose scars look fainter in the video, presents current Emirates Old Trafford star Tom Hartley with his cap for the England Cricket team as he also references his own “hard” times over the past few months.

In the video, Freddie, 45, said: “It gives me so much pleasure to share what’s going to be a day you remember for the rest of your life. Your journey hasn’t been like a lot of people, no academy, no assistance, which to me suggests a steeliness, a determination, a passion – which might not be evident on the outside but it’s definitely burning inside.”

Freddie then plays with the cap in his hand as he continued: “When you get this cap, it changes your life. It’s one of those things where there’s a before and after it, this enables you to walk tall and move faster, play with passion, play with pride, play with belief and also part of a family of people. They’ll share the good times with you, the successes, and as I found over the past few months, they’ll be there during the hardest times of your life, they’ll stand next to you.

"So like the lion on the cap Tom, be brave, be fearless, be proud and enjoy every minute. It gives me great pleasure to present cap number 272 to Tom Hartley.”

The father of four has been notably absent from the public eye since he suffered a crash whilst filming Top Gear in December 2022. Freddie sustained facial injuries and broken ribs when the car he was driving veered off the road at 130mph at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.

It took nine months for Freddie to be pictured at a public event again, when he attended the first One Day International between England and New Zealand on Friday, September 8, with his facial injuries still clearly visible.

A week after this appearance it was reported that Freddie may finally be back on television again too, with filming for Field of Dreams series two expected to begin this winter.