Andy Flower appointed to new ECB role following resignation as head coach

Johannesburg: Former England head coach Andy Flower has reportedly been appointed as the England and Wales Cricket Board`s (ECB) new technical director of elite coaching.

Flower resigned last month as coach of the national side and team director following England`s humiliating 5-0 Ashes series loss in Australia, a reverse that also signalled the end of star batsman Kevin Pietersen`s international career. According to Sport24, the ECB said in a statement that the new position would see Flower taking on a wide-ranging role that would `incorporate working with the next generation of England players and coaches as well as being charged with creating a leadership programme for young England players`. New ECB managing director Paul Downton said that board is delighted to be able to retain a man of Flower`s experience and quality, adding that Flower`s record over the last five years speaks for itself and he will look to enhance the relationship between the county coaches and the England set-up. Flower, who will be based at the national cricket performance centre at Loughborough University, said that he views the opportunity as the start of a new phase of his career, adding that the role offers him a chance to make a real contribution to the ability and character of England players and coaches in the future. Flower, who was appointed as England coach in 2009, oversaw three Test series wins against Australia, the 2010 World Twenty20 title in the West Indies and the following year took the side to the top of the world Test rankings. England has yet to appoint a full-time head coach in succession to Flower, with limited overs chief Ashley Giles, who is currently in charge of the side in the Caribbean for one-day and Twenty20 series against the West Indies, in pole position to take over, the report added.