GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday February 1, 2014
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Flower steps down as England head coach (REUTERS) - Andy Flower has stepped down as England head coach following his side’s humiliating 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board said yesterday. The Zimbabwean, who had been in charge since 2009, found his position under increasing pressure after England suffered heavy defeats in the Test series and he is now set to be given a new role with the national academy in Loughborough. “Following the recent very disappointing Ashes defeat it is clear to me that this is now time for England cricket, led by (captain) Alastair Cook, to rebuild with a new set of values and goals,” Flower said in a statement on the ECB website (www.ecb.co.uk). “This has been a very difficult decision to make and I
remain committed to England cricket and would like to wish Alastair Cook and Paul Downton every success. “I will remain in my position as a selector for the time being and am currently exploring possible roles within the ECB. The priority must now be to establish the direction and personnel needed to ensure England cricket moves forward.” During his time in charge, the former Zimbabwe wick-
Andy Flower has stepped down as England’s team director but may remain with the ECB
Difficult decision to make - Flower “FOLLOWING the recent very disappointing Ashes defeat it is clear to me that this is now time for England cricket, led by Alastair Cook, to rebuild with a new set of values and goals. “The opportunity to start with a clean slate and begin to instil methods to ensure England cricket is moving in the right direction will be an incredibly exciting challenge for someone but I do not feel like I am in a position to undertake that challenge.
“In order for England cricket to make significant progress I believe that the Team Director, together with the respective captains, needs to be responsible across all formats in order to positively influence the rebuilding process. “This will ensure complete clarity and continuity across the squads and having stepped aside from the limited overs squads 14 months ago that is not something I am able to do and I do not therefore feel that starting the process would be in
the best interests of all involved at what is a pivotal time for England cricket. “This has been a very difficult decision to make and I remain committed to England cricket and would like to wish Alastair Cook and Paul Downton every success. “I will remain in my position as a selector for the time being and am currently exploring possible roles within the ECB. The priority must now be to establish the direction and personnel.”
Rixon’s parting words for Cricket Australia … Outgoing assistant coach takes thinly-veiled swipe OUTGOING Australia assistant coach Steve Rixon has taken a parting shot at Cricket Australia (CA). CA announced on Wednesday that Rixon will not continue in his role as assistant coach of the Australian men’s team, as part of broader changes to team support staff. Rixon then told a radio station on Thursday he has ‘very little respect for the organisation’. While senior coach Darren Lehmann wasn’t in Rixon’s firing line, the former Test wicketkeeper made it clear CA High Performance Manager Pat Howard was. “I don’t like a lot of things they do. They interfere basically with a lot of the cricket decisions over the period of time and I don’t necessarily agree with that,” he told Sky Sports Radio. When quizzed as to whether Howard was the CA staffer he was specifically talking about, Rixon said: “Let me say, I hope he was a good rugby player.” However, Rixon said Lehmann and captain Michael Clarke were well-placed to
Steve Rixon continue building the success the Australian team has enjoyed this summer against England. “With Michael now being very content with where he is, Boof’s obviously come in with a stronger approach to that,” he said. “That’s why I think cricket’s in a very good shape with Australia, we’re starting to get all those bits and pieces (together). “Darren will eventually get a team around him that he’s very, very comfortable with and that’s fine. That’s the way
life is, that’s the way it is with coaching.” The former New Zealand coach will again work with the Chennai Super Kings and hopes to pick up a job with other Twenty20 teams down the track, including in the KFC Big Bash League. Discussing Rixon on Wednesday, Lehmann said: “I’ve taken the opportunity to look at our current coaching structure and the levels of support I feel we need moving into the future.” “I’ve mentioned previously that I believe our players can really benefit from more dedicated skill-based training, which means more regular support from technical experts to help work on specific areas of performance. “This will see various coaches and experts in their field working with the team as and when it is needed. In recent times that’s included people like Mike Young to work on fielding while Shane Warne is going to work with our spinners in a short-term capacity ahead of the ICC World Twenty 20.
et-keeper batsman helped England to win the Ashes three times and masterminded their first World Twenty20 title in 2010. Flower also steered England to number one in the world Test rankings in August 2011 following a 4-0 home victory over India. “Andy has been the most successful coach in England’s history and we at the ECB are very disappointed to see him
leave the role as Team Director,” Paul Downton, managing director of England cricket, said. “We respect his decision and the reasons for it but we are keen to keep Andy’s experience and outstanding knowledge within the ECB. “We are at advance stages of negotiating a role for Andy within the ECB structure which will best utilise his undoubted skills.”