Andy Flower, the man from Zimbabwe, was part of a cricket team made up of a rag tag bunch of part time cricket players and hardly a force to reckon with in international cricket. In spite of that, he was a batsman that rose to the giddying heights of the no 1 spot in the international cricket rankings for batsmen at one point. Clearly he is a man able to perform above the limitations placed on him and it is perhaps this very quality that the ECB is hoping to draw on, to put on track the currently rudderless English Cricket team.

The loss to the West Indies notwithstanding, Andy Flower made a positive impression during his three month stint as temporary coach for England. According to former English captain Nasser Hussain, Flower is the right man for the job because he will provide the stability that the team needs and will stop a bunch of talented players from settling into mediocrity.

The fact that he has already formed a good relationship with the present skipper is another plus. This is perhaps a more important qualification for the job than having vast experience which the man does in fact lack. Coaching in international cricket is after all more about relationships that CVs. Cricket news was witness to the disastrous consequences of a captain being unable to get on with the coach as was the case with Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen: for the coach, captain and team as well.

Further Flower is seen as someone with strong personal convictions and as an extremely hard worker, which are other plusses. The fact that he stands up for what he believes in was evidenced when he played for Zimbabwe in 2003 and defiantly wore a black armband to symbolize and mourn the death of democracy in his country and as a mark of protest against Robert Mugabe’s oppressive regime.

Though the ECB had a requirement of level three and above for their national coach, and Flower is only a level 4 there were several other considerations that swung it in his favour. There was also the fact that there were barely any other fit applicants for the job. Many coaches now prefer to coach domestically and enjoy and stable family life all the year round, and then take the 6 week IPL window and make themselves a nice pile every year. Rushing about for a national team’s loaded itinerary to say nothing of the pressures it entails may not be everyone’s cup of tea!

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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