After retiring from his brief stint as a boxer, another career beckons for Andrew Flintoff: that of literary critic.
The former England cricket captain took to Twitter last night to lambast Ian Rankin's novel The Impossible Dead, calling it "the dullest book ever", and branding it #binned. Not content to write off Rankin's literary work, the 35-year-old former cricketer, who helped England to a stunning Ashes victory in 2005, went on to diss the 53-year-old author's mugshot.
Enough is enough 30 pages In of the dullest book ever ! No wonder look at his picture on the back #binned pic.twitter.com/8Eap10CI4t
— fred flintoff (@flintoff11) September 5, 2013
From now on, Flintoff added, he would be sticking to comedy.
Sticking to Ben Elton from now on !
— fred flintoff (@flintoff11) September 5, 2013
It didn't take long for Rankin to respond, with the award-winning author joking that Flintoff's criticism should appear on the cover of the next edition.
'The dullest book ever - Andrew Flintoff' - Iain Banks would have insisted I stick that on the next edition...
— Ian Rankin (@Beathhigh) September 5, 2013
Adding …
One can learn from objective, incisive criticism: 1) have more things happen in books, 2) be like Ben Elton, 3) no @rankinphoto portrait.
— Ian Rankin (@Beathhigh) September 5, 2013
