RUSTENBURG Former Zimbabwe national team skipper Andy Flower who is now the coach of England has been credited with transforming his team into a competitive outfit following a string of impressive results at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty 20 World Cup tournament. England last Thursday cruised to a comprehensive 7-wicket victory over Sri Lanka to claim a place in the Twenty20 World Cup final today. The victory over Sri Lanka came after victories in earlier rounds in which England beat defending champions Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand.
Speaking after Englands victory over New Zealand, England skipper Paul Collingwood singled out Flower for introducing different training techniques, which he believes have helped to build the side into a more aggressive outfit.
I think that we have put in a lot of hard work, especially during the past year after Andy Flower took over as coach and we are now reaping the benefits of that work, said Collingwood.
Flower has taken us into a different direction in terms of our training techniques. Now we are trying to work on more power in the field and obviously he (Flower) has played a huge role in the batting.
The managing director of the England Cricket Board (ECB) Hugh Morris also heaped praises on Flower.
He said: He is a man of great cricketing pedigree as well as a man of unquestionable integrity. He has provided the outstanding leadership that England requires as we embark on this most exciting and challenging of years.
After an impressive career that saw him being rated as the best test cricket batsman in the world during his prime, Flower is one of the former Zimbabwe national team players who have managed to make a smooth transition to the more demanding field of coaching.
Before taking up the position, Flower had been an assistant to former coach Peter Moores, since 2007.
Englands progression to the semifinals of the ICC Twenty 20 World Cup has been hailed as a huge achievement and this will add another feather to Flowers cap.
Speaking on his philosophy as a coach, Flower who is now 41 said: I think Im honest and fairly open; Id like to see an ethos of constant improvement in our side.
He added that it was his aim to ensure that England wins the ICC cricket World Cup in 2011.
Having played 63 Tests for Zimbabwe, the last in 2002, Flower cut his teeth as a coach at the England Cricket Board (ECB) Academy before being considered for the post of assistant national team coach.
Unlike some international coaches, Flower has the advantages of his experience as a top-flight player as well as his background with Zimbabwe, where an under-rated team punched above their weight to produce some outstanding results, after achieving Test status in the early 1990s.
Post published in: Cricket