England’s ashes aftermath

Perth. — England’s calamitous Ashes loss with two tests to spare has sparked the usual calls for heads to roll in all departments, but it remains to be seen whether coach Andy Flower will man the guillotine or put his own neck on the chopping block.
The architect of England’s rise to the pinnacle of test cricket, however brief the reign, Flower is contracted till the end of the five-test series Down Under, but has given no indication as to whether he intends to stay on.

“We have two tests and I am hungry to do well in those games,” the 45-year-old former Zimbabwe captain told the BBC after his side lost the third test and the series in Perth on Tuesday.
“That is as far as I am looking at the moment.”

Flower has ruled England with what has been described as an iron fist, with meticulous planning and attention to detail, a trait that caused some mirth Down Under when excerpts from an 82-page dossier of England’s dietary requirements on tour were published in Australian media last month.

Whether Flower has the stomach to sign another contract is likely to be settled by how the team responds to their lowest ebb since being whitewashed 5-0 in the 2006-07 series.

Flower may not feel all that committed if the team crashes to further losses in the fourth test in Melbourne and the fifth and final match in Sydney.

Equivocating over his future is unlikely to win him too many friends in England, where former players and pundits see a need for emergency surgery to save the patient before the next Ashes in 2015.

“Does Andy Flower see the problems in his England side and have the (courage) to make big changes? Or will he want out?” Geoff Boycott fumed in Britain’s Daily Mail.

“Remember he has given up the running of the 50-over and Twenty20 sides to have more time off.
“If you are going to build another team to challenge the world it requires mental strength and strong desire from the coach.”

With a number of other hard choices to make ahead of the Boxing Day test in Melbourne, Flower may, understandably, be reluctant to ponder his future.

He was not shirking his responsibility for England’s stunning fall from grace in Australia, however, where they have been outplayed in every facet of the game.

“Absolutely it’s my responsibility so I’m quite comfortable taking that on,” Flower said in Perth. — Reuters.