Andy Flower steps down as England team director

Andy Flower has stepped down as England team director. Flower’s decision follows a meeting with new England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Paul Downton.

London: Andy Flower has been in charge since 2009 and boasts a fine record, but his position became untenable after the Ashes whitewash this winter. The ECB confirmed Flower will continue to act as a selector for the time being and he is hoping to find a new position within the organisation.

Andy Flower

Although the ongoing tour of Australia will go down as the nadir of the Flower era, the Ashes was a productive series during his tenure. Despite an apparent pledge to remain in charge and help rebuild the Test team following their 5-0 humbling, his long-term future has been in doubt since he brought Giles in to share the workload.

Flower said in an ECB statement: “Following the recent very disappointing Ashes defeat it is clear to me that this is now time for England cricket, led by Alastair Cook, to rebuild with a new set of values and goals. The opportunity to start with a clean slate and begin to instil methods to ensure England cricket is moving in the right direction will be an incredibly exciting challenge for someone but I do not feel like I am in a position to undertake that challenge. In order for England cricket to make significant progress I believe that the team director, together with the respective captains, needs to be responsible across all formats in order to positively influence the rebuilding process.”

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