Welcome to the private world of naive Fletcher

'Why is the Freddie Flintoff stuff so important?' Duncan Fletcher asked as we sat at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, in the shadow of Table Mountain, conducting the first interview the former England coach had given since his bitter departure from office after the World Cup. 'I wouldn't have bothered including it if I'd known it would cause such a fuss.'

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It was typical Fletcher. He had heard rumblings that his explosive revelations about Flintoff's drink problems in his autobiography were about to send shockwaves through the cricket world and he was either apprehensive at the reaction or simply naive.

I tried to explain we were talking about a national hero and, at the time, an England captain who had been considered too drunk to take part even in basic catching practice at 10am, let alone set the right example to his team.

Of course it was important. And Fletcher was perfectly entitled to write about it. But we had to agree to disagree over its validity as an integral part of Sportsmail's serialisation of Behind the Shades.

My trip to Fletcher's home city to interview England's most successful coach was a fascinating experience. I had hoped for an invitation to Fletcher's home, having undertaken a monumental trip from England's one-day tour of Sri Lanka via Singapore to get to South Africa, but he preferred to meet on neutral territory.

I should have expected nothing less. Fletcher is a very private and wary man who never came to terms with the ways of the media and consequently is not nearly as admired as he should be after transforming England from no-hopers to Ashes winners in six years.

Even in the beautiful Vineyard Hotel, a stone's throw from Fletcher's home in Newlands, the former coach cast a suspicious gaze around the quiet lounge I had identified as the perfect place for an interview.

He spied an old gentleman, looking nothing like a potential mole, on the next table and asked if we could go somewhere more confidential. We ended up close to a coffee-making machine near the bar which caused an uncomfortably loud noise for my tape-recorder's liking.

But I was engrossed by every word Fletcher said in 90 memorable minutes. You only have to talk to the majority of players he has worked with, strong and contrasting characters, to gather evidence of his powers. It is hard to find a player who has a bad word to say about him after being under his wing.

His autobiography may ruffle important feathers but it is a hugely important work about eight years of English cricket history and should be treated as such. Flintoff may not like what Sportsmail revealed yesterday but he should digest every word and have a good, hard look at himself.

While I was in Sri Lanka it was striking how often Fletcher's name came up, among players and press alike. The man has left a lasting impression even though some observers, stung by a plethora of unhelpful press conferences, are a little reluctant to give the man the credit he deserves.

The autobiography was on everyone's lips. Everyone wanted to know what was in it and what the Zimbabwean had said about them. Everyone seemed to know Flintoff would be the centre of attention. 'I'm not surprised Duncan's nailed him,' one England player said. 'Freddie did get up to an awful lot of stuff in Australia that he shouldn't have done.'

The temptation among those criticised will be to dismiss Fletcher's book as a self-serving work in which various scores are settled and there's no question humility and an acceptance of mistakes being made by the coach are in short supply.

But Fletcher, a highly sensitive man, felt entitled to give his side of a story that featured more highs than lows, but which finished in the ignominy of a 5-0 Ashes thrashing and a hapless World Cup.

Those who know him best feel his influence waned during those last fateful months, that he had let his iron resolve be weakened by others. And it is noticeable that Fletcher told me his only regret is not being stronger at times when his belief in democracy had led to others being given their head.

Yes, there were mistakes, like his suspicion over the effectiveness of Monty Panesar and his reluctance to pick a paceman who did not bowl at 90mph. But he has an answer for everything. 'Has Ryan Sidebottom proved you wrong over the past year?' I asked. 'No,' he replied. 'He was bowling at 89mph in Sri Lanka. If he'd been doing that four years ago I'd have picked him.'

Hard to argue, really. And I, for one, hope we have not seen the last of Duncan Fletcher. He wants to coach a county next year.

If I was a county chairman I'd be on the phone to him straight away. Just be prepared to meet him at the Vineyard Hotel for the contract negotiations rather than at his home.