Flower set for England job

Andy Flower is expected to be confirmed as the new coach of England today, after a winter in which we managed to go on two tours and not win a single test match. There's no denying that Flower was a great player in his day, and in interviews he comes across as an intelligent, charismatic man, but the transition to England coach is a big one and his first tour, of the West Indies, was notable more for the organisational bungling of the WICB and Kevin Pietersen's ongoing 'I'm tired and I want to leave so I can go home for a week and then bugger off to the IPL' briefings than actual good England displays.

Its not going to get any easier for the Zimbabwean either, as there is a return series agains the West Indies coming up before the ICC World Twenty20 in June (a competition we're rubbish at) and then of course the Ashes in July. There is little doubt the Australians are not as strong as they were but England seem at such a low ebb themselves that expectations have been significantly lowered in anticipation. Granted, the dead tracks in West Indies made life difficult for them but one is not filled with confidence going into a summer facing the best side in the world.

One can also not help but wonder whether Flower himself was ever first choice. Various big names were linked and then ruled out of the running, such as Mickey Arthur, Tom Moody and Gary Kirsten (all more experienced than Flower) while Ashley Giles was told he was too inexperienced and Graham Ford, perhaps the most qualified candidate having coached both at county and international level, withdrew citing the overlong nature of the application process.

Regardless, Flower's first priority is to address the parlous state of England's seamers, with Steve Harmison looking uninterested as usual, Ryan Sidebottom unfit, James Anderson inconsistent yet capable and Andrew Flintoff injury-prone. Depth is unquestionably an issue and a few good early season County Championship matches could see the likes of Graham Onions, Saj Mahmood or even Matthew Hoggard thrown into the fray.

Flower might also wonder how to deal with the monumental ego of Kevin Pietersen, although that particular rubix cube can perhaps be put on the back burner for now as he is Ray Jennings' problem for the next three weeks.