Considered as one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen in the world and Zimbabwe’s finest batsman, Andrew Flower will forever be remembered for his unmatched dedication to the Zimbabwean cricket team for 10 long years. His first-class career dates back to 1986-87 that continued to flourish till 2007, during which he played for Essex and South Australia.
“Petals” as he is nicknamed, made his international debut in the 1992 Cricket World Cup against New Zealand and played most of his cricket alongside younger brother Grant. He had two spells with Zimbabwe as their skipper, once in 1994-95 where he led the team to their first Test victory and then in 2000, becoming the first Zimbabwean to led a Test tour to England. Andy was a fine player of both, fast bowling and spin that saw him scoring 540 runs during their India tour in 2001, where he was dismissed only twice. His retirement from international cricket came in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, where he along with team-mate Henry Olonga, protested against what they termed as the “death of democracy”.
Post retirement, Flower turned towards coaching and was named as England’s Assistant Coach in 2009, with Peter Moores. But less than 48 hours later, he was put in charge of the national team. As England’s coach, he has two back-to-back Ashes wins under his belt, one at home and the other away. His unbreakable bond with captain Andrew Strauss helped the team achieve a respectable status in the limited overs format and guided them to their first ICC trophy at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. His contract as the England coach was renewed by the ECB in 2011.The following year, Flower’s workload was reduced by Ashley Giles as he was named the limited-overs coach, while the former still holding the directorial post.
