by Arthur Crabtree » Sat May 24, 2014 6:40 pm
Andy Flower's time as England coach will be remembered as a distinctive era in the history of the England cricket team. There was a coming together and disintegration of a team of players. A story with a rise and a fall; the day spent toting a mace around the outfield at the Oval eventually seeming to mock us for our pretensions, viewed from the scorched earth of the Ashes debacle. Most sporting eras end in defeat and recrimination. Flower's has ended that way, and though it is natural to concentrate on understanding and relieving the current trauma, it is unrealistic not to recognise the memory of some very good days.
In Spring 2009, when Flower took over from his boss and eventual successor, Peter Moores, the team was in a dismal place and the the achievements of Duncan Fletcher already seemed the memory of a golden age. England had lost to India, at home and away, to South Africa at home, and Sri Lanka away. Only some hard fought victories against West Indies and New Zealand allowed any respite from the lack of intensity and flair in the England side. Everything looked hard. The heroes of 2005 hung on for a while with injuries and unreliable form. Vaughan retired with a lame knee. Panesar and Sidebottom kept England from floating gently to the bottom of the rankings. The batting was carried by Pietersen. There was little there that suggested that England would be top ranked in just over two years.
And England started badly in West Indies, bowled out for 51 in Kingston, a defeat that they would use to entrench their future ambitions. A series of drab draws followed and England lost the series. Flower and Strauss appeared a cautious pair, delaying declarations on some admittedly flat tracks. It initially appeared that this was natural cautiousness from a side too used to losing. But that always remained their way. England at least took solace from a return to form from Strauss with the bat and an excellent series from Swann with the ball.
There was no expectation that at the end of the English summer, Flower and England would regain the Ashes. It was summer of attritional cricket, most fondly remembered for Anderson and Panesar's last stand draw in Cardiff. The best cricket was played by Australia, particularly when Mitch Johnson slaughtered the England batting in Leeds. For England, the series blazed into life in the final Test at the Oval, England settling the series 2-1 with a thrilling victory by 197 runs.
Ten great innings of the Flower era.
1. Jonathan Trott, 119 at the Oval v Australia, 2009.
A pragmatic and nerveless knock on debut stifled Australian hopes of a fightback and put the game way beyond their reach. Trott would become Flower's key batter in his two year surge to the top of the Test rankings.
Ten great bowling performances of the Flower era.
1. Stuart Broad, 5-37 at the Oval v Australia, 2009.
This was Broad's breakthrough in international cricket. On a good batting pitch he swung the ball both ways and extracted bounce from the surface. He cut Australia down from 73-1 to 111-7. It was the most exciting display of individual flair from the England team in the series.
Ten great wins of the Flower era.
1. The Oval against Australia, 2009.
Up until the final Test, England had been very hard to beat, but not all that exciting. The win at the Oval was something else. It was a portent that a genuinely good side was emerging, as well as a team that didn't give up. And we won't forget Flintoff running out Ricky Ponting. If it was touching to see Harmison and Freddie walk off as Ashes winners again, this win really belonged to the players that would define Flower's era, like Bell, Trott, Swann, Prior, captain Strauss et al.
I always say that everybody's right.