West Indies v England, 5th ODI: Victory for the tourists could lead to Flower’s appointment
When the England players step onto the St Lucia field ahead of the final match of this West Indies tour tomorrow, they will know there is a lot at stake. First of all, there is a One-day International series to be won. The teams are level at 2-2 with one game to play after Andrew Strauss inspired the tourists to victory in the most recent encounter.
The confidence of this England team would also be given a huge boost if they were to end what has been a fairly miserable tour with a series victory. It means that they can arrive home with their heads held a little bit higher. It means that a bit more momentum can be taken into the summer and would perhaps make us more likely to use our cricket bet to back the team.
The result of this 5th ODI could also determine who becomes head coach of England for the considerable future. Should Andy Flower – who has
been in an ‘interim’ position during the recent tour – help his team to a series win, it could mean that he is given the nod for a more permanent role.
Hugh Morris has already suggested that Flower is a strong contender for the role, saying that the former Zimbabwe batsman has performed
‘really, really well’ considering the difficult circumstances by which he landed the position.
Morris has also been impressed by the relationship between Flower and Andrew Strauss. More so than any other sport, the way in which captain
and coach work together in cricket is extremely significant. Just look at the Hussain/Fletcher or the Vaughan/Fletcher partnerships –
they complimented each other perfectly.
Morris believes that this is also the case with Flower and Strauss because they appear to ‘share a vision’ regarding which direction the team needs to head in, both on and off the field.
An announcement about the permanent coach is likely to be made before the first test between England and West Indies in May ahead of a very
busy summer of cricket. First there is a mini-series against Chris Gayle’s men, then the World Twenty20 tournament. All of this is then followed by the small matter of the Ashes series.
With all this in mind, it is crucial that the ECB make the right choice when it comes to naming the coach. Flower is certainly in the box seat right now and this will be exaggerated if England manage to come home with an ODI series under their belts.
All in all, tomorrow’s game is of the utmost importance. Often in a ODI series, the last game can be irrelevant, but this one means a huge amount to both teams. The West Indies will want to make it a whitewash of series wins, whilst England need to make up for some rather horrific performances on this tour.
