His playing career was full of examples of overcoming adversity. But has Andy Flower bitten off more than he can chew with his latest venture?
Earlier this week Flower was appointed as the Team Director for the English cricket team. The job is Flower’s first “head coach” role – no matter how it’s dressed up, that is effectively what the job is – and it has come at a crucial time for English cricket.
There is, at this moment, 82 days until the Ashes – the biggest clash in the cricket world. Last time the series was in England, the Ashes were reclaimed for the first time in 16 years. Last time it was in Australia, England were humiliated by a 5-0 series defeat.
This is a crucial time for the ECB, and thus this is a crucial appointment. Rookie coaches have had success in recent times – Gary Kirsten with India being the prime example – but this is a genuinely huge challenge.
However, the slightly disturbing aspect of the appointment is that nobody else wanted the job. This isn’t to say Flower wouldn’t have been impressive in the interview, but the fact that numerous high profile names – Micky Arthur of South Africa and Tom Moody of Sri Lanka - ruled themselves out of the running.
Unfortunately for England, the most likely candidate for the role would have been the late Bob Woolmer. The Englishman, who was coach of Pakistan at the time of his death, had been successful in uniting fractured dressing rooms – a seemingly key skill in the present climate.
Sadly, Woolmer died of a suspected heart attack during the 2007 World Cup, and cricket was deprived of a fine coach. The world was deprived of a fine man.
There are no doubts about Andy Flower’s mental strength. On numerous occasions, Flower challenged Robert Mugabe’s regime in his home country of Zimbabwe, most notably during his black armband protest during the 2003 World Cup.
Flower will need to draw on all of his undoubted coaching talent to bring everything together in time for the Ashes. He is a tough street fighter, and an innovative one at that, but only time will tell if the Flower regime will bloom in time for the Ashes.
Earlier this week Flower was appointed as the Team Director for the English cricket team. The job is Flower’s first “head coach” role – no matter how it’s dressed up, that is effectively what the job is – and it has come at a crucial time for English cricket.
There is, at this moment, 82 days until the Ashes – the biggest clash in the cricket world. Last time the series was in England, the Ashes were reclaimed for the first time in 16 years. Last time it was in Australia, England were humiliated by a 5-0 series defeat.
This is a crucial time for the ECB, and thus this is a crucial appointment. Rookie coaches have had success in recent times – Gary Kirsten with India being the prime example – but this is a genuinely huge challenge.
However, the slightly disturbing aspect of the appointment is that nobody else wanted the job. This isn’t to say Flower wouldn’t have been impressive in the interview, but the fact that numerous high profile names – Micky Arthur of South Africa and Tom Moody of Sri Lanka - ruled themselves out of the running.
Unfortunately for England, the most likely candidate for the role would have been the late Bob Woolmer. The Englishman, who was coach of Pakistan at the time of his death, had been successful in uniting fractured dressing rooms – a seemingly key skill in the present climate.Sadly, Woolmer died of a suspected heart attack during the 2007 World Cup, and cricket was deprived of a fine coach. The world was deprived of a fine man.
There are no doubts about Andy Flower’s mental strength. On numerous occasions, Flower challenged Robert Mugabe’s regime in his home country of Zimbabwe, most notably during his black armband protest during the 2003 World Cup.
Flower will need to draw on all of his undoubted coaching talent to bring everything together in time for the Ashes. He is a tough street fighter, and an innovative one at that, but only time will tell if the Flower regime will bloom in time for the Ashes.
By Tom Snee, Live Media UK
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