England coach Andy Flower wants more say in the length of future tours
England cricket coach Andy Flower has said that he wants a greater role in deciding the team’s tour planning. The English team has been in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 since November; the hectic schedule has taken a heavy toll on the performance of the players during the recent
One Day International series.
“We've been here over three months now and with the intensity at which the guys play their cricket, and with the intensity that we demand in training it is no surprise that people will pick up injuries and break down at the end of a long, hard tour,” Flower
said.
The English side has been plagued with injuries. Five of its players: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajmal-Shahzad-c42489, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Paul Collingwood and Chris Tremlett have returned back home to begin treatment; four of them are part of the 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup.
Meanwhile Stuart Broad has just returned from an abdominal injury which he suffered early on in the tour in December.
Flower is of the view that team coaches have very little say regarding the scheduling of the fixtures of a particular tour. The team director has felt a sense of hopelessness saying the injuries could have been avoided if the fixtures had been considered
more carefully.
“Ideally the coach's thoughts should be sought, but in most instances these fixture lists and itineraries are in place way before any information is sought from the coach,” he lamented.
While the Australian tour is nearing an end, there will not be much rest for the English players as they will be heading straight into the ICC World Cup 2011; due to start in less than three weeks. They will arrive back at Heathrow on Tuesday, and spend
just three days home before heading out for the subcontinent on 12 February, 2011. The World Cup starts on 19 February; England will play their opening game against Holland at Nagpur three days later.
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