Rocky Flintoff, son of former England captain Andrew Flintoff, entered the record books on Thursday as he became the youngest cricketer to make a County Championship debut for Lancashire. Aged 16 years and 137 days, Rocky surpassed the record of Peter Marner who played his first game for the side in 1952.
Lancashire were struggling at 33/2 in the 11th over when Rocky walked to bat at no. 4. He played seven consecutive dot balls before finally getting off the mark. His patience paid off as he found his rhythm, showcasing his potential with three boundaries.
Rocky was batting on 32 when Sai Sudharsan took a brilliant catch at point to cut short the debutant’s innings, leaving Surrey at a tough spot. Surrye’s bowling attack continued the dominate the opening day, bowling out Lancashire for a total of 204.
Earlier in July, Rocky made his List A debut for Lancashire in the One Day Cup against Kent. In his fifth game, against Middlesex, he top-scored with a 115-ball 88. He also became the youngest batter to score a Test century for England’s U-19 team in July, against Sri Lanka in Cheltenham.
Back in April, he shattered a treasured record of his father Andrew with his maiden century for Lancashire’s second XI. The 16-year-old struck 116 runs off 165 balls in the first innings of a match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. His knock comprised as many as 11 boundaries and three maximums. Coming in to bat at number 5, Rocky breached the triple-figure mark facing 151 deliveries. With this, the teenager became the youngest batter to notch a century for a second XI, bettering his father’s 30-year-old record by 250 days.
Edgbaston seems to be the favourite ground for the Flintoff family. This was the venue where Andrew Flintoff put up his career-best Test score of 167 against the West Indies back in 2004. He also had an unforgettable outing at Edgbaston during the 2005 Ashes series.
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