All 3 entries tagged Flower

Flower Criticises Review System

One of the main talking points from the five days in Centurion was when Kevin Pietersen was bowled off a no-ball by Morne Morkel. Despite the introduction of technology, the decision could not be overturned under the current rules.

This seems to be one of the things that Flower has a problem with. He believes there are some 'illogical anomalies' with the system and that if technology is going to be used it should be 'done properly'.

Flower has a point, that's for sure. Why have someone sitting in the pavilion after being bowled off a no-ball when the third umpire could check this in a matter of seconds?

The Zimbabwean wasn't finished there though. He said that he would prefer it if 'the umpire made a decision and people get on with it'. Overall, Flower believes cricket has gone from a system that was 'nice and simple' to one that has 'more and more complications'.

Basically, he isn't a fan of reviews and his comments back up the fact that England have been against the system from the start. However, it is unlikely that the ICC will abandon the project any time soon, so England will have to get used to it.

Perhaps if they start having a bit more success with it, that will help things along. After all, they lost seven of their on-field referrals in Centurion. They were also unhappy with how long South Africa took to refer a decision regarding Stuart Broad's dismissal in the first innings.

The fact is Flower makes some valid points. It does make everything more complicated. Nobody is quite sure where they stand and it would be a lot easier if everything was moved back to how it was. However, as frustrating as the system might be, the team will have to make sure it doesn't impact onEngland's second Test chances.

In other sports news, pundits have already started casting their eyes over the runners and riders for next year'sGrand National.

: 24 Dec 2009 16:23 |  Tags: Andy Cricket England Flower Grand National Review Sport Test Umpire |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Flower and Strauss the key to Ashes success

What a remarkable day Sunday was for the English cricket fan. England secured a 2-1 victory over Australia by winning at The Oval and it was a special occasion for all concerned. The famous little urn is back in English hands after a second consecutive home series victory over the old enemy.

Quite rightly, a lot of the attention has been on Andrew Flintoff in the aftermath. The win at The Oval was the final test that Freddie will play for England, having announced his retirement from the longest form of the game earlier in the series.

Stuart Broad has got a lot of praise as well after finishing off a productive second half of the series with an excellent bowling display in the final test of the Ashes. The 23-year-old was man-of-the-match at The Oval and has since been touted as the ‘new Flintoff’ as England look ahead to life without their talisman.

Taking nothing away from these two though, there hasn’t been enough praise for the partnership of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower. In England’s hour of need, these two have been fantastic. Following the situation with Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores, England needed a partnership that worked.

This is exactly what they got as well. Strauss and Flower have been calm, professional, inspiring and determined. They have been tactically sound for the majority and have stayed focused when things weren’t going England’s way.

The relationship between captain and coach is integral to the team’s success and this is why England should be positive looking forward.Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher were in these roles for the English Ashes win four years ago, but they weren’t able to push on due to Vaughan’s injuries.

This time can be different though. Flower and Strauss can look ahead to the next three or four years and have ambitions for what they want their team to achieve. They will undoubtedly keep their feet on the ground as well, something that wasn’t done after the 2005 success, and hold onto Englands odds of winning the Ashes.

Overall, the future of English cricket is potentially very bright and this is largely down to the hard work of captain and coach. Well done lads.

: 30 Aug 2009 17:11 |  Tags: Ashes Australia Cricket England Flower Ponting Strauss Victory |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Who are the options for England’s new coach?

It has been a rather hectic week for English cricket. As we all know, Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen have moved on from their roles as coach and captain. Then, Andrew Strauss was appointed as the new skipper for the tour of West Indies. In a nutshell, these are the events of the last few days. Much bickering, speculation and fall out have occurred as well.

It seems appropriate to look forward rather than backwards now though. What has happened has happened and there is no way it can be altered. There are still articles around speaking about Pietersen’s role in all of this, but it isn’t about him now. It is about Strauss leading the England cricket team to a successful 2009.

The only thing Pietersen has to think about during this time is scoring lots of runs. That’s it. The England cricket team is much more important than KP trying to defend his role in everything. Time to move on!

With this in mind, it seems appropriate to speculate about the only missing piece of Strauss’ new era jigsaw. Namely - a coach to replace Moores. A full-time man is likely to take the hot-seat in time for the English summer, so this gives the ECB plenty of time to find the right man. So, who are the possibilities?

Andy Flower - The former Zimbabwe batsman is likely to take over the role on a temporary basis in the West Indies, although given his loyalty to Moores, it perhaps wouldn’t be ideal for him to get the nod. Especially when player unity is more important than ever.

Tom Moody - In my opinion, this is the man England should have turned to back in April 2007 when they appointed Moores. He is a very well respected coach and could excel in the high-profile role.

Graham Ford - The former South Africa coach is currently in charge of Kent has admitted that he would be ‘interested’ in the position.

Darren Lehmann - A surprise name perhaps, but many (including Shane Warne) believe that Lehmann would be perfect for England. He is currently coaching Australia’s academy.

Dav Whatmore - Anyone with the pedigree of this man is bound to be linked with a job as big as this one. The former Sri Lanka coach seems to be in the Duncan Fletcher mould, so England could do a lot, lot worse.

Ashley Giles - This is the least likely as far as I am concerned. Yes, he is coaching at Warwickshire right now, but this would be far too soon for him. Many of the players, including Strauss, Pietersen and Flintoff would struggle to consider him as a coach and not a team mate.

Overall, it is going to be an interesting couple of months for English cricket. It is a very significant appointment considering recent events and I just prey they make the right one. I’d personally go with Moody, but should the West Indies tour prove successful, the cricket odds will back Flower to get the job on a permanent basis.

Other than that, I am far more likely to place my cricket betting money on Whatmore or Ford than Lehmann or Giles.

By Thomas Rooney - A sports writer who blogs about England cricket

: 13 Jan 2009 12:23 |  Tags: Coaching Cricket Flower Ford Giles Lehmann Moody Moores Sport Whatmore |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem