I suppose when a team loses 5-0 to its greatest rivals, the manager will usually expect to find his head on the chopping block, the media baying for the blade to fall. It can happen in any sport. Yet England's heavy defeat Down Under followed five years of unprecedented success under the guidance of Andy Flower, a period which should have guaranteed the Zimbabwean coach the keys to the kingdom for the rest of his life. So why the nods of approval from all and sundry when Flower resigned today?
His predecessor Peter Moores got the boot when he, too, fell foul of the walking ego that is Kevin Pietersen. Flower was brought in, alongside new untried national skipper Andrew Strauss in January 2009, and five years later, the same batsman has been the focus of another coach's departure. How active a role KP has played this time, perhaps we'll never know, but at least we won't face the disaster of a Pietersen captaincy; Alastair Cook must surely remain in that job.
With Flower at the helm, taking over less than three years after his last game for Essex, England won 30 and lost only 19 out of 66 Tests, and enjoyed 12 series victories and only four defeats out of nineteen. One of the losses was his first, in the Caribbean, with the skittling of England for 51 all out making an embarrassing start. Things went awry in 2012 when England were thumped by Pakistan and South Africa, but with three Ashes successes and that whitewash of India to go top of the ICC rankings, Andy Flower can leave with head held high. On his watch, England also won the World T20 title and became one of the most consistent 50-over outfits albeit with no trophies, before handing the reins to Ashley Giles.
The Warwickshire man is apparently hot favourite to take Flower's place as the head coach for the Test squad. In some ways, that is a plus for continuity. However, if Flower was forced out because the culture had gone to pot during the winter tour, then why should Giles escape without punishment? I don't recall his one-day charges performing much better! Flower's dogged pursuit of a professional attitude and a host of backroom staff has been cited as the reason for failure but Giles is hardly a man noted for fun, frolics and back to basics.
Will Paul Downton and co bite the bullet and select someone from out of the current regime? Another foreigner? Maybe an Austalian like Shane Warne or Steve Waugh??!! I suspect it'll be a safety first appointment, but he would need to dispense with Gooch and Saker, that's for sure.
A good relationship with Cook is imperative. Pietersen is an irrelevance. I wish the eventual head coach lots of luck!
