If Andy Flower is to get the England job full time, then realistically he will need to win this series against the West Indies. On the evidence of the twenty20 defeat early this week, he will have his work cut out. Flower already has the backing of senior players within the dressing room, but still has some work to do to convince his superiors that he is right for the job.
Flower seems a good candidate to coach a team in transition, finding their way before the summer’s ashes series. His international experience demands respect from the dressing room, not least from Kevin Pietersen, who has pulled his weight behind Flower taking over as coach. Flower has changed the mind of Kevin Pietersen, from wanting him out, to be become the next coach of England. Now, whoever, can manage to control the ego of Pietersen so well must be a serious candidate for the full time job. Another promising sign of Flower’s short reign is the rapport he seems to have struck with Captain Andrew Strauss. The relationship has all the makings of the Fletcher/Vaughan combination that led England to Ashes triumph.
An ODI series victory must be seen as a necessity to end a winless streak that goes back to the ODI series with South Africa in the summer. However, Flower’s seems to be a man who is clearly confident the team has what it takes to succeed in this format of the game. The current management of Strauss and Flower has developed a ruthless streak that is required to bring players out of the comfort zone and get them scoring runs for their place. Flower can also bring his simple but effective style of batting into the team and instigate a sense of responsibility to the teams success in every player.
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