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It is never easy to leave the big stage when you know you are still good. But Andrew Flintoff took the brave decision to quit Test cricket after the Ashes as his injury woes mounted.
In the first Ashes Test at Cardiff, Flintoff bristled and bustled with aggression. For a man who had a long layoff due to a dodgy knee, he looked on top of his game.
Test cricket will be poorer without Flintoff. Critics will point out that a career average of just 31.09 with the bat and 31.51 with the ball in Tests currently hardly justifies that.
Some may say that since his golden Ashes series in 2005, Flintoff rarely touched those heights.
Forget statistics, they never give the true picture. Flintoff will go down in history as one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket.
His contributions to the England team can never be measured in terms of statistics. He brought character and confidence to the England team. And his aggressive approach brought back memories of Sir Ian Botham.
The opposition always feared Flintoff. And what could be better than that.
Nobody expected Flintoff to reach far in cricket when he made his Test debut aged 20 against South Africa at Nottingham in 1998. The selectors had seen potential but his six foot four frame had a bit of flab which hampered his progress over the next two years.
This led to an ultimatum from the management which proved embarrassing for the big lad. However, this motivated him and a leaner and meaner Flintoff emerged.
There was no looking back once Flintoff managed to get a few wickets against India and a maiden century against New Zealand.
Flintoff stamped his authority on the game but his ankle began to protest after constant pounding day after day. His brilliance in the summer of 2005 had the world singing his praises. He batted and bowled England to a superb Ashes victory.
He made a lasting impression as a great competitor when he rushed to console Brett Lee after England ended a stout last wicket partnership fashioned by the Aussie paceman to win by two runs.
After the epic series, Flintoff's ankle began to play up more frequently and other injuries had him more outside than in the side. The mind was willing but the body weak.
Flintoff's batting began to fall away but his bowling got better and better. By now the master of reverse swing, Flintoff proved lethal against the left-handers.
Bowling from round the wicket, Flintoff had left-handers struggling against incisive swing bowling. There is no better exponent of this art in the world.
The good thing is that Flintoff will still be there playing one-day and Twenty20 cricket. But he will not get the chance to express himself like he did in Test cricket due to the various restrictions in the shorter format.
The sight of Flintoff raising both hands and smiling knowingly after taking a wicket will always be etched in the minds of cricket fans. The fact that he broke the pain barrier often for such achievements makes him a truly world-class cricketer.
