Warne hails flower as new England coach

LONDON: Andy Flower has all the qualities to do well and England made the right decision by appointing the former Zimbabwe captain as the head
coach, said spin legend Shane Warne.

Hailing Flower's appointment as the new coach of England, Warne, who doesn't believe coaches have much of a role in international cricket, said the England and Wales Cricket Board got the designation right as well.

"England have taken a step in the right direction by appointing Andy Flower, and I think the new job title as team director is the right one," Warne was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Telegraph'.

"At international level, the 'coach' shouldn't be coaching - players don't need to hear about high left elbows and all that rubbish," said Warne, who had repeated run-in with former Australian coach John Buchanan during their days together.

Instead of trying to coach players at this level, Warne said the job is more about communication.

"Basically, you want a good communicator who creates an environment where players feel comfortable and can play their own way knowing they will get support.

"Flower is a quality individual who earned the respect of everybody in the game with the way he played and for what he did off the field," said the flamboyant spinner who leads defending champion Rajasthan Royals in the second edition of Indian Premier League in South Africa.

Warne felt Flower's would be a calming influence on the England team.

"I think he will be a big calming influence in the dressing-room. He is one of those people who will be hard, but very fair. And being quite young, an Essex player until recently, means he is in tune with the modern game. He has all the qualities for the role," said the Australian.

Source: TOI

Bhajji too dependent on 'doosra': Atherton

London: Former England captain Mike Atherton feels Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has become a lesser force due to over-dependence on his 'doosra' which is affecting his ability to drift and spin the ball.

India won the first Test against England in Chennai, but Harbhajan was largely ineffective on a crumbling wicket and Atherton feels the reason is his over-use of 'doosra'.

"Even though Harbhajan was in form, bowling at a ground he knows well and at batsmen short of match practice, he made little impression," Atherton wrote in his column for 'The Times'.

"I am not entirely sure that Harbhajan is the bowler he used to be, now that an overextended use of the doosra -- the ball that spins to the off -- has affected his ability to drift and spin his stock ball, the off spinner," he added.

Atherton, however, took a sympathetic view of England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar and said his below-par show was a result of lack of match practice and the pressure of too much expectations.

"Although Panesar failed abjectly to do his bit on the final day, bowling 27 wicketless overs, comparing match figures does not show him in the poor light one may imagine. Amit Mishra, the leg spinner, bowled 51 overs, taking four for 165; Harbhajan bowled 68 overs, taking four for 187; Panesar bowled 46 overs, taking three for 170. The difference is not so marked," he pointed out.

Atherton said England should stop expecting Panesar to be a Shane Warne and let him focus on his strengths.

"He is no Shane Warne, never has been, never will be. He is, however, a bloody good finger spinner and still the best England have by a distance. One bad game does not change that," he explained.

© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.