England Name New Team Director

Andy Flower was today named as the England Team director by the England and Wales Cricket Board Hugh Morris, England Cricket Managing Director, announced the appointment at a press conference at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London and said: ‘I am delighted that Andy has accepted the role. ‘I had the privilege of seeing Andy work with the England team during the recent Caribbean tour and he impressed not only me but also the players, the backroom staff, management and the ECB officials who were out there. ‘He is a man of great cricketing pedigree as well as a man of unquestionable integrity. He will provide the outstanding leadership that England require as we embark on this most exciting and challenging of years.’ Flower, 40, was previously assistant coach under Peter Moores and then became the head of the coaching staff for the recent tour of the Caribbean. Flower said yesterday: ‘It is a great honour to be appointed to this role. I understand the history of cricket in this country and I am very proud to be given this responsibility. ‘I am delighted to have been given the job but I recognise that all the hard work is ahead of me. I want to create a winning England team. The most important thing is not just getting the job but doing a good job for England in the weeks, months and years to come. ‘We will all now be focussed on working extremely hard as we all try to improve our position in the world rankings.’