England Coach Andy Flower full of praise for Players
Andy Flower, England’s coach praised Eoin Morgan and Matt Prior after their impressive 354 run victory over Pakistan in the first Test. He said Morgan and Prior played a crucial part in the win at Trent Bridge and was impressed by their display of composure and determination in the face of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s dreaded fast bowlers. According to Flower, their centuries were the central parts of the big win.
“They were outstanding knocks, both of them. Obviously you get ebb and flow in every game but I thought it was a fascinating game for people to watch, and those types of pitches and the swinging ball make it a fascinating battle between bat and ball. I enjoyed watching it myself and the spectators must have loved it.” Flower said, as he spoke to reporters about his star batsmen.
Both batsmen had an agenda. Morgan, who was replacing Ian Bell, was determined to prove that he could handle Test cricket. He was firm in this match, following some unimpressive appearances against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Craig-Kieswetter-c51708 as the number one wicket keeping batsman for England.
Flower told reporters, “I thought Morgan's composure, initially when the ball was moving around and then capitalizing on the spin in the afternoon, was almost a typically perfect Test innings. I thought the tempo with which he played his shots and innings was ideal. Prior's knock was superb as well, in fact I think that is the best I have ever seen him bat.”
Flower was asked if he thought that Prior’s exclusion from the one day format had encouraged him to improve his performance and he said he was positive that it had. Flower said that it was this determination that ascertains a player’s place on the team and he said those were the sort of players they wanted on the England team.
Prior’s excellent form has raised the question of whether England should play four or five bowlers in the upcoming Ashes against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. While talking about the selection issue, Flower stressed that the best player for each position will be selected, “Matt Prior plays as a keeper-batter but the other guy needs to be good enough at his job to perform as an all rounder. Obviously [if we found one], that is what we would do, but we are not looking for vindication. We make our decisions on what we feel will give us the best chance of winning,” he said.
Flower also praised another player, James Anderson, who won the Man of the Match award because of his career best pull of 11 for 71. He has not been performing consistently in his last few appearances, but this time performed brilliantly. “It was a superb performance. We know what Jimmy can do when the ball swings, and that was a very good thing for his confidence. But it's like that for any bowler. If Murali came across a glass-like pitch he would be less effective than he is when he bowls at Galle. That is the same for any bowler. They have conditions that suit them more one day than the other.”
Flower was confident that Anderson will improve his form even further in time for the Ashes. He said that the striker bowler has to learn to adapt to different situations and he will develop into a much better bowler. He said that his existing experience was enough to make him an important part of the team, where they relied on him despite the bowling conditions. Flower added that despite his young age, he was very mature and seemed ready to handle stressful challenges and situations.
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