ANDY FLOWER TO BE OFFERED NEW CONTRACT BY ENGLAND

• England coach Andy Flower to be offered new contract by England and Wales Cricket Board

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is all set to offer Andy Flower a new contract for three years in a bid to keep him with the side.

The decision has come after news emerged that England national team coach Flower was being considered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to replace their ICC World Cup 2011 triumphant coach Gary Kirsten who did not seek extension to his term with the Indian team.

Flower at the moment is on a rolling-staff contract which gives him the same protection rights as a full time employee of the Board. However, it is believed that the ECB will now offer him a fixed-term contract for about three years which will ensure that he stays with the side for a longer period.

It is believed that Flower expressed his frustration over the lengthy and hectic schedule of England during the winters of 2010. Nonetheless, Flower has been the most successful coach for the Poms. During his tenure, England lifted their first ever Twenty20 World Cup in 2010. They also won the 2010-11 Ashes series downunder convincingly by 3-1. It was a feat they had not managed for over two decades.

After looking at England’s performance right before the ICC World Cup 2011, the Poms were being considered favourites for the mega event. However, Strauss’s men failed to perform up to the expectations of the fans as they failed to reach the semi-final of the mega event and were bundled out by Sri Lanka.

Even after the unimpressive performance in the mega event, the ECB is not ready to let Flower go. One of the reasons could be the fact that England faced numerous injury concerns during the tournament and Flower was not left with too many options.

Let’s see if Flower signs the contract with the England side when it is offered to him. For the time being,India will be looking to rope in the former Zimbabwe batsman to their ranks.

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England coach Andy Flower shortlisted for India coaching role

England cricket coach Andy Flower is reportedly among the few names who have been shortlisted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for coaching the national side.

The post of India’s coach was left vacant after Gary Kirsten left the team following the completion of his contract recently. Kirsten guided the Men in Blue to their second ever ICC World Cup title in April 2011.

These reports left the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) nervous prompting it to nail the former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper for another three years.

A leading sports website on Tuesday claimed that Flower and Duncan Fletcher are among the shortlisted candidates to coach the ICC World Cup 2011 winning team of India.

Flower took over as England national team’s head coach back in 2009 after Peter Moores stepped down following a run-in with prolific batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Flower’s two-year coaching stint helped the Andrew Strauss-led England team to two successive home and away Ashes series wins. He also guided England to their first-ever ICC title, the 2010 World Twenty20 championship.

During Flower’s two years in charge, England played 29 Test matches winning 15 and losing just five of them while the rest were drawn. Their One Day International record under his reign is less impressive as they won 27 out of a total of 56 ODIs during that time period. Four of the remaining 29 ODIs were abandoned or tied so a winning rate of above 50 per cent is decent enough.

Looking at Flower’s successful stint with the team, the ECB is determined to hold on to the Zimbabwean and is doing all it can to prevent him from being lured by the BCCI.

“Andy Flower has been offered a new three-year contract as the England and Wales Cricket Board attempts to head off any moves for their highly rated coach from India,” read the report. “...Flower is due to meet Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, at the end of the month to discuss his long-term future and the direction of the England set-up.”

Like the board, the England players are also eager to have the 42-year-old for another term. England wicketkeeper batsman Matt Prior recently praised his coach.

“He has been fantastic. The main thing I love about Andy is he is honest. He is a good human being. There are no politics. He just wants to win,” said Prior.

The wicketkeeper further added that Flower backs the players 100 per cent and this helps the players to be confident about themselves.

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