Freddie and co put in a spin

You don’t often believe pop stars or sportsmen who have performed in front of thousands of people when they claim doing a foxtrot on Strictly Come Dancing is ‘the scariest thing I’ve ever done’.

We get it all the time and we are in the living room going: come on Matt Dawson, surely you don’t expect us to believe that you were more nervous than when you walked out ahead of the Rugby World Cup Final?

We may sit in disbelief but there may well be a large degree of honesty in the mega-stars whimpering to Tess and Brucie.

The fact is they are outside of their comfort zone and they know they have far less control over events, leading to an increased sense of helplessness and, hence, fear.

When Mark Ramprakash walked out to bat he knew he had faced millions of deliveries in the nets and had the ability to deal with almost anything that was thrown at him, this knowledge was a kind of protective armour against nerves.

When he hit the dance floor to jive or salsa or what-have-you in front of the judges all he had was a week’s training on the routine.

This week England’s cricketers are being put under the microscope as they face the decision whether to return to India in light of the Mumbai terror attacks.

The decision is made all the tougher because it is such a public one and the kind they so rarely have to make.

Andrew Flintoff is one of those rumoured to be wavering and he is a man who has shown his courage a hundred times over with bat or ball in hand, yet he faces the prospect of being labelled a coward if he decides against going back to the sub-continent and may even have his commitment to the England cause brought into question.

Flintoff is not a politician or a diplomat and he should not be put in a position where he has to choose between his commitment to English cricket and his commitment to his young family.

If it comes to it that he is left to weigh up the pros and cons himself and make a personal decision then there should be no judgements made about his valour or his devotion to the England cause.

I have no doubt he will prove many times over in the future just what it means to him to wear the Three Lions but the fact is the, even for the most committed sportsman in the world, sport has its place and - just as I will think no less of Austin Healey as a rugby player if he messes up his pasa doble - I will think nothing less of the England players who choose to stay at home.