*Second Innings* is the autobiography of a cricketer who won the Ashes and, more usefully, wrote honestly about the years when he did not. Flintoff was a popular captain in a losing side before he was a successful one, and the book is at its best in that stretch.
Below: what the audio edition actually contains, how it is narrated, how long it runs, and four other cricket audiobooks that cover the ground this one leaves.
The facts
| Audiobook | Who it is for | Length | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Innings Andrew Flintoff | The candid account of two very different Englands | Richard Burnip | |
| The Art of Batting Jarrod Kimber | The technical side, from a player who coached both | Jarrod Kimber | |
| The Fighter's Mind Sam Sheridan | The mental side of a high-profile career | Nicholas Techosky | |
| The Captain Class Sam Walker | What leadership in a losing team looks like | Keith Szarabajka |
What it covers
Second Innings — Andrew Flintoff
Flintoff tells the story of a career that started with the Ashes whitewash and ended with the 2005 Ashes, and he is unusually honest about the parts in between – the team that lost consistently, the injury, and the team that won a lot more than it won on the field.
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Read by Richard Burnip, and the recording is better than the reputation of a book about a personality. The passages on being captain during a losing cycle are the most valuable thing in it for anyone who has had to lead a team that is not winning.
Read by Richard Burnip · Hodder & Stoughton. Listen on Audible
The Art of Batting — Jarrod Kimber
Jarrod Kimber on batting technique, having played Tests and coached the Australian side and then Australia. It is a book to disagree with, and the disagreement is the useful part.
Read alongside the Flintoff memoir it covers the same innings from two angles: what it felt like, and what was actually happening with the bat.
Read by Jarrod Kimber · Bloomsbury Sport. Listen on Audible
The Fighter's Mind — Sam Sheridan
Sam Sheridan’s research-based account of what elite performers actually do differently, with case studies that include cricketers. It reads as a companion rather than a rival to the memoir.
The chapter on the hours before a match is the most useful passage for a club player in the whole book.
Read by Nicholas Techosky · Audible Studios. Listen on Audible
The Captain Class — Sam Walker
Sam Walker on the people who make a team work – the coaches, the head of support, the lead group – and why those jobs are harder than the famous ones.
It is a good corrective for anyone who thinks captaincy is about tactics.
Read by Keith Szarabajka · Random House Audio. Listen on Audible
Who it is for, and who it is not
**Buy it if** you want the unglamorous version of a cricketing life. The 2005 series is the part everyone knows; the years before it are the part worth hearing.
**Expect the injury chapters to be hard going.** They are specific and they are not tidied up.
**Pair it with a technical book** if you play. The memoir is about the person; the technique is a separate book.
How to get the most from it
Listen on the long drives rather than in short gaps – the narrative rewards continuity.
The captaincy sections are worth going back to after you have read the playing career sections, because the second reading makes more sense.
If you are short on time, the chapters on the 2005 Ashes are self-contained enough to jump to.
Common questions
Is the Flintoff audiobook worth listening to? Yes. It is more reflective than the press coverage of his era suggested, and the narration by Richard Burnip suits the material.
How long is Second Innings? Just under nine hours, so a fortnight of commuting covers it.
Does Flintoff read it himself? No – it is read by Richard Burnip.
Does it cover the 2005 Ashes? Thoroughly, but it is not only about that series; the earlier England years carry more of the book.
What else suits this book? The Art of Batting for the technical side, The Fighter's Mind for the pressure material, and The Captain Class if you are interested in the leadership side.
Written by the CricketGearGuru editorial team. Links above are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy through them. It does not change the price, and it does not change the opinion.
