Andy Flower aims to win the World Cup for England
England coach http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-Flower-c44362 has his eyes on the World Cup set to start in the sub-continent next month after the historic thrashing of the Australians in the five match Ashes series.
Flower though conceded that winning the World Cup is a gigantic task for the English team that qualified for three finals of the first five tournaments held till 1992 yet failed to win any of the three finals.
The English team has given some fine performances in the 50 overs format in the last couple of years they also won the T20 World Championship in the Caribbean early last year. However the World Cup in sub-continental conditions is different cattle of fish
for Flower’s men.
"I'm not sure where we're rated in one-day internationals but I think the brand of cricket we're playing, we've got a chance," added Flower. "We'll have to switch on to the sub-continent conditions and thrive very quickly. Even the Bangladesh conditions
will be very tricky - they've just beaten http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 4-0.That's going to be a tricky match in itself."
The English team is placed in Group B for the tournament where, they have to overcome two hosts India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 at home in their conditions.
On the other hand the English team think tank is busy preparing for the seven match ODI series against the Australians that gives them a chance of playing against a team that has won the last three World Cups, the Aussies also won the tournament in 1987
defeating the English in an exciting final played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
"We're playing against a good side - the number one ODI side in the world - and that's great opposition leading up to the World Cup. That's a big plus," he added.
"But the conditions are very different so it makes things slightly tricky because the make-up of the side could be different. It makes the lead in not perfect but we'll make the most of it."In training definitely we'll be combining it with looking to the
World Cup, it's pertinent."
He added: "It's a strange run-in, yes, we'll be playing one-day cricket but in Australian conditions.”The type of cricket we'll need to win in the sub-continent will be different, different skills, different make up to the side maybe, perhaps a slightly
different batting order."
The English team would be heading off to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 ends in the first week of February; they would have to spend a few days off the ground celebrating the remarkable achievement Down under. The icing on the cake would be victory in
the ODI series, a format where the English have struggled against the Australians over the years.
However they won the last series between the two teams that was staged in England last May. Meanwhile there have been calls made by the English media in favour of the inclusion of left handed opener Alastair Cook who had an incredible Ashes series.
Cook amassed a tally of 766 runs and returns to his homeland as a national hero. The pundits believe that he is in the form of his life and can make a real impression in the limited overs format also, especially the 50 overs format.
Besides Cook the squad has a settled look to it with exciting left hander Eoin Morgan set to start from where he left off in England. The Irishman had an outstanding series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 scoring an incredible hundred in the last match that was the decider
of the five matches encounter.
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