Flowers International Return ?!! :o

[sloandog]

Grant Flower to make international return
ESPNcricinfo staff

September 30, 2010

Comments: 6 | Login via | Text size: A | A
Grant Flower is set to play the dual role of batting coach and player for Zimbabwe © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related LinksPlayers/Officials: Grant Flower
Teams: Zimbabwe


Grant Flower, the 39-year-old batsman, has said he wants to relaunch his international career during next month's tour of South Africa, six and a half years after he last played for Zimbabwe. In August, Flower had returned to Zimbabwe after six seasons with Essex, to be the batting coach of the national team and the player-coach of the Mashonaland Eagles franchise.

He was one of Zimbabwe's leading players during his 12-year international career, in which he has so far played 67 Tests (3457 runs at 29.54) and 219 ODIs (6536 runs at 33.69). In 2004, he became one of the key players to leave in an exodus following Heath Streak's removal from the captaincy.

"It (international cricket) is a different pressure," Flower told the Associated Press. "I just had a good season with Essex, playing some of my best one-day cricket with them, but international cricket is a step up."

Essex were relegated to the second division of the County Championship, but Flower's 527 runs at 65.87 were pivotal to the county reaching the semi-final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition.

He admitted that the dual role of player and batting coach could prove to be tricky. "There can be a conflict of interests with my role as the batting coach if I can't turn things around as a player," Flower said. "It can be awkward if I don't. If it works, however, it can come out in positive fashion."

Zimbabwe's three ODIs and two Twenty20s against South Africa are their only confirmed international assignments before the World Cup starts in February next year.

Flower is the latest of several high-profile players who have become part of Zimbabwe cricket this season. Fast bowlers Allan Donald and Jason Gillespie have taken domestic coaching assignments, and former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris has been put in charge of the national Under-19 team.

Twenty20 squadElton Chigumbura(capt), Hamilton Masakadza , Chami Chibhabha, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Shingirai Masakadza, Ian Nicolson, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Charles Coventry, Edward Rainsford, Chris Mpofu, Keith Dabengwa, Grant Flower.

ODI Squad: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Hamilton Masakadza , Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Shingirai Masakadza, Ian Nicolson, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Edward Rainsford, Chris Mpofu, Keith Dabengwa, Grant Flower, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine

[sloandog]

That's a strange looking squad at the bottom No Price, Lamb, Taylor, Blignaut
And Flowers Inclusion is crazy !! He's 39 for god sake ! I mean he may well have done a great job at Essex but come on, is he part of our cricketeting future ?? No he isn not ! He'll be a welcomed addittion to our world cup plans but I think the younger players need to be looked at first

[maehara]

Yup. Those squads make no sense to me. Taylor dropped, and Dabengwa back? Why? Taylor's our best batsman & highest scorer this year, for crying out loud!

[aydee]

Yup. Those squads make no sense to me. Taylor dropped, and Dabengwa back? Why? Taylor's our best batsman & highest scorer this year, for crying out loud!

Taylor can't have been dropped. Either that's just a cricinfo error, or he has an injury...

Lamb and Price must be injured having not featured in the Ireland series either, and as for Blignaut, who knows... Looks like he might have wandered off again, having not yet payed a game this season. That said, he was always injury-prone as well, so maybe he too is on the physio's bench.

Personally, I don't mind the inclusion of Flower. He was still performing capably for Essex (which is clearly a higher standard than franchise cricket), and will bring a cool head to the dressing room. The younger batsmen (which by international standards includes almost all of them!) can learn a lot from the way he approaches the task of building an innings.

[sloandog]

Yup. Those squads make no sense to me. Taylor dropped, and Dabengwa back? Why? Taylor's our best batsman & highest scorer this year, for crying out loud!

Taylor can't have been dropped. Either that's just a cricinfo error, or he has an injury...

Lamb and Price must be injured having not featured in the Ireland series either, and as for Blignaut, who knows... Looks like he might have wandered off again, having not yet payed a game this season. That said, he was always injury-prone as well, so maybe he too is on the physio's bench.

Personally, I don't mind the inclusion of Flower. He was still performing capably for Essex (which is clearly a higher standard than franchise cricket), and will bring a cool head to the dressing room. The younger batsmen (which by international standards includes almost all of them!) can learn a lot from the way he approaches the task of building an innings.

He's in the squad, great ! But i don't like the idea of him taking up another youngsters spot

[Robin]

Taylor can't have been dropped. Either that's just a cricinfo error, or he has an injury...

Lamb and Price must be injured

Personally, I don't mind the inclusion of Flower. He was still performing capably for Essex (which is clearly a higher standard than franchise cricket), and will bring a cool head to the dressing room. The younger batsmen (which by international standards includes almost all of them!) can learn a lot from the way he approaches the task of building an innings.

Agree, correct and agree

[Robin]

He's in the squad, great ! But i don't like the idea of him taking up another youngsters spot

His inclusion into the squad, increases Zims chances of winning. It is for a youngster to prove that he is better than Flower.

Zim need 11 players on the pitch who have the ability to win/turn a match with their performance. The all-rounders Taibu, Cremer and Chigs have proven they can as have the spinners Utseya and Price. However of the batsman only Masakadza and Taylor have proven they have what it takes to turn in a match winning knock. (regrettably Coventry's superb knock has proven to be every much a one off). Flower in the team will impove Zim as a unit and take the pressure of Chigs's bowling.

[Xlife]

Fantastic news!!! Now we have a player with geniune quality in the side... age is not a matter in cricket ( look at Jayasuriya, Dave Houghton) Now all we need is Sean Ervine and Goodwin back and we will once again be a force in international cricket

[morgieb]

Wow...I was shocked when I read this. He's still one of Zimbabwe's best batsman in the circuit, but still....fair dinkum. He's turning 40 this year ffs.

[eugene]

I must say the big news here is not Flower's inclusion, but Taylor's omission. Why would our best batsman be dropped? I would rather have Brendan Taylor than Grant Flower in the side. Perhaps Taylor is injured and that is why Flower has been included - unless there is something more sinister going on with Taylor?

Also, why is Dabengwa in the side? I thought it was proved 5 years ago that he couldn't cut it at international level. I really don't see that he has improved since then. I think I would rather have Matsi in the team!!