Ashish Ranjan
Australia have appointed three-time Ashes-winning coach Andy Flower to their backroom staff in preparation for their June 7 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at The Oval in London. The five-match series is scheduled to commence on June 16 and conclude on July 31 in England.
Flower, the former captain of Zimbabwe, coached England from 2009 to 2014. He won his first three Ashes matches in 2009, 2010-2011, and 2013. However, he resigned after his team was swept in Australia during the 2013-14 season.
Following Flower’s appointment, Australia’s captain, Cummins, stated that they were privileged to have someone with Flower’s level of experience in their camp for the championship match. The 30-year-old believes Flower has an extensive understanding of English conditions and their opponents, and that his addition will be advantageous.
“[He carries] experience with him, and he is very familiar with these conditions. ESPNcricinfo quoted Cummins as saying, “Hopefully, he knows the opposition, so if he can give us one nugget of information about playing in England that we haven’t considered, then it’s worth it.”
Cummins continued by stating that he believes Australia’s head coach, Andrew McDonald, has collaborated with Flower extensively and that he has witnessed Australia recruit various individuals at different times over the years.
“I believe Andrew [McDonald] has worked with him quite a bit, and you’ve seen us bring in various individuals over the years. We are fortunate to have someone with as much experience as Andy.”
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Flower, on the other hand, is unlikely to participate in the buildup to the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on June 16. ESPNcricinfo reports that the 55-year-old will rejoin the squad in the final phases of the series, possibly prior to the July 6 start of the third Test at Headingley.
