Tuesday 18 May 2010

Going with the A-Flo

One man not mentioned in dispatches below deserves more than just his medal. Taking over from his former boss a captainless team riven by strife, Andy Flower has produced first an Ashes winning side and then the T20 champions.

There's something zen about A-Flo. He says so little, what he does say carries weight. His philosophy is a combination of will, knowledge and statistical analysis. More than that, England's players know he will never look them in the eye and ask them to do something he hasn't done himself.

Expect him to entirely shave his head and start sitting on a mat staring at a wall any time now. As long as the wall has a full stat breakdown by Gemma Broad written on it. All coaches have a lifespan, but let's hope his is as long as Fletch's. That old CLR James nugget has proven true again: 'what does he know of cricket who only cricket knows...?'

1 comment:

John Holmes said...

Kipling, wasn't it ?

"What do they know of England..." I must be lurching towards old f*rtdom, as I find Kipling resonates more and more with me.

Still, "The boys done good" (W.Shankly)