Queen honours Strauss, Flower, Cook

Three men who played key roles in England's Ashes victory in Australia have received awards in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

England coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss received OBEs while man-of-the-series Alastair Cook gets an MBE to reward his 766 runs - the highest score for England in a Test series for 80 years.

Strauss, who led England to their first successful series win Down Under since 1987, became an MBE after England’s 2005 Ashes win. "It is a great honour to receive this accolade," he said.

Continuing, he added: "It’s one of the better items of post you get through the letterbox - certainly better than a gas bill. We have achieved something but are nowhere near the end of the road yet, and will continue to strive to improve."

Flower, the former Zimbabwe batsman, said: "It is a lovely surprise to receive this honour. My family and I feel very thankful to have been welcomed into this country since moving here in 2003."

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Flower moves on from Prior incident

Andy Flower knows Matt Prior will quickly put his "freak accident" with a Lord's window pane behind him - and thinks everyone else should do the same.

The England coach was an eye witness to the incident on the final day of the drawn second npower Test against Sri Lanka, in which Prior somehow managed to break the window in the dressing room as he discarded his bat after being run out.

Flower confirmed today there was simply no intent at all on the wicketkeeper-batsman's part, although the International Cricket Council today saw fit to issue a reprimand to Prior over the incident.

"I do know him well, and he is a good man," Flower said of Prior, who immediately apologised to a female spectator who suffered minor cuts from the broken glass.

"I was there, right there, two metres away when that happened. I saw it.

"There was no real malicious intent at all."

Other than perhaps the minor lack of care and attention, universally committed by millions of batsmen as they come to terms with an aggravating dismissal, Flower insists Prior simply did not do anything wrong.

"He was a little frustrated and shoved his bat in the corner, and it knocked around and bounced off one or two other bats and hit the pane of glass," he said.

"It was a freak accident, but definitely an accident. It is a shame that people will think anything other than that.

"It is not a major incident by any stretch of the imagination, and everybody should put it behind them really.

"If there was more to it, then of course it should be taken further. But there really is not."

On the field, Flower sees no reason for significant regret either - after watching the match peter out into a stalemate yesterday on a Lord's pitch which, typically, refused to deteriorate.

He reflected with equanimity on a contest which leaves England with a 1-0 series advantage before next week's third and final Test at the Rose Bowl, and contained a clutch of notable home performances and one or two slightly less so.

Alastair Cook continued his astounding run of form with his 18th Test hundred - a sixth in 12 innings, unprecedented among Englishmen - and 202 runs in the match.

England recovered their composure, from a hapless 22 for three on the first morning, thanks to Cook's 96 - and after a lacklustre collective bowling performance, there was a welcome second-innings return to form for Kevin Pietersen.

"People reacted very well to that pressure situation. It was very impressive, excellent," said Flower.

"To get to 22 for three in the first place was not our most successful piece of batting.

"But from the position we were in, Cook, (Ian) Bell and others did an outstanding job resurrecting the innings."

When they batted again, England were again indebted to their near immovable opener - after his partner and captain Andrew Strauss fell cheaply to left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara for the second time in the match.

"I thought it was a tricky second innings," added the coach.

"When it started it was in bowler-friendly conditions, and we know Lord's changes character in those overhead conditions.

"We needed to be very good on that fourth afternoon - and I thought Cook, (Jonathan) Trott and Pietersen did really well."

Flower was especially pleased with the latter's 72.

"It was significant. I liked the determination and the way he approached that innings," he said.

"He was very selective early on, and did the right thing by the team on Monday evening by ensuring he was not out with Cook for the next day.

"In the context of the game and for the team, that innings was a good one.

"He is a class batsman, and we hope that will kickstart a great summer for him. I don't see any reason why it won't be.

"I think Kevin showed yesterday, and the evening before, how comfortably he can play left-arm spin.

"If he continues in that mode, he will be making a lot of runs against all types of bowlers."

Pietersen eventually fell to left-arm spin again, for the 20th time in Tests, but only after a major contribution and to a very good delivery.

Strauss, meanwhile, appears to be struggling against left-arm pace.

But Flower said: "Andrew has made many runs in Test cricket - and in the course of that, he has faced a lot of left-arm over, right-arm round and other bowlers.

"He has dealt with them all very skilfully.

"I don't think he has a huge technical difficulty ... you are going to get out (sometimes) in Test cricket. If a left-arm over bowler gets you out twice in a row in one match, that's life.

"I thought the ball he got in the second innings was a superb one - both were

Flower moves on from Prior incident

Andy Flower knows Matt Prior will quickly put his "freak accident" with a Lord's window pane behind him - and thinks everyone else should do the same.

The England coach was an eye witness to the incident on the final day of the drawn second npower Test against Sri Lanka, in which Prior somehow managed to break the window in the dressing room as he discarded his bat after being run out.

Flower confirmed today there was simply no intent at all on the wicketkeeper-batsman's part, although the International Cricket Council today saw fit to issue a reprimand to Prior over the incident.

"I do know him well, and he is a good man," Flower said of Prior, who immediately apologised to a female spectator who suffered minor cuts from the broken glass.

"I was there, right there, two metres away when that happened. I saw it.

"There was no real malicious intent at all."

Other than perhaps the minor lack of care and attention, universally committed by millions of batsmen as they come to terms with an aggravating dismissal, Flower insists Prior simply did not do anything wrong.

"He was a little frustrated and shoved his bat in the corner, and it knocked around and bounced off one or two other bats and hit the pane of glass," he said.

"It was a freak accident, but definitely an accident. It is a shame that people will think anything other than that.

"It is not a major incident by any stretch of the imagination, and everybody should put it behind them really.

"If there was more to it, then of course it should be taken further. But there really is not."

On the field, Flower sees no reason for significant regret either - after watching the match peter out into a stalemate yesterday on a Lord's pitch which, typically, refused to deteriorate.

He reflected with equanimity on a contest which leaves England with a 1-0 series advantage before next week's third and final Test at the Rose Bowl, and contained a clutch of notable home performances and one or two slightly less so.

Alastair Cook continued his astounding run of form with his 18th Test hundred - a sixth in 12 innings, unprecedented among Englishmen - and 202 runs in the match.

England recovered their composure, from a hapless 22 for three on the first morning, thanks to Cook's 96 - and after a lacklustre collective bowling performance, there was a welcome second-innings return to form for Kevin Pietersen.

"People reacted very well to that pressure situation. It was very impressive, excellent," said Flower.

"To get to 22 for three in the first place was not our most successful piece of batting.

"But from the position we were in, Cook, (Ian) Bell and others did an outstanding job resurrecting the innings."

When they batted again, England were again indebted to their near immovable opener - after his partner and captain Andrew Strauss fell cheaply to left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara for the second time in the match.

"I thought it was a tricky second innings," added the coach.

"When it started it was in bowler-friendly conditions, and we know Lord's changes character in those overhead conditions.

"We needed to be very good on that fourth afternoon - and I thought Cook, (Jonathan) Trott and Pietersen did really well."

Flower was especially pleased with the latter's 72.

"It was significant. I liked the determination and the way he approached that innings," he said.

"He was very selective early on, and did the right thing by the team on Monday evening by ensuring he was not out with Cook for the next day.

"In the context of the game and for the team, that innings was a good one.

"He is a class batsman, and we hope that will kickstart a great summer for him. I don't see any reason why it won't be.

"I think Kevin showed yesterday, and the evening before, how comfortably he can play left-arm spin.

"If he continues in that mode, he will be making a lot of runs against all types of bowlers."

Pietersen eventually fell to left-arm spin again, for the 20th time in Tests, but only after a major contribution and to a very good delivery.

Strauss, meanwhile, appears to be struggling against left-arm pace.

But Flower said: "Andrew has made many runs in Test cricket - and in the course of that, he has faced a lot of left-arm over, right-arm round and other bowlers.

"He has dealt with them all very skilfully.

"I don't think he has a huge technical difficulty ... you are going to get out (sometimes) in Test cricket. If a left-arm over bowler gets you out twice in a row in one match, that's life.

"I thought the ball he got in the second innings was a superb one - both were

Flower says Pietersen will come good

England coach Andy Flower is "very excited" about Kevin Pietersen's performance despite the gifted batsman's latest failure against left-arm spin.
England completed a superb innings and 14-run win in the first Test in Cardiff after bundling out Sri Lanka for a mere 82 in the tourists' second innings in under two extraordinary hours at Sophia Gardens on Monday.

It was also strange to see Pietersen contribute just three runs in England's of 496 for five declared. He was the only batsman to score in single figure.

For Pietersen, who was lbw to Rangana Herath, it was the 19th occasion in Tests the South Africa-born batsman had fallen to a left-arm spinner.

"It is obvious he has had his issues," commented Flower. Despite KP scoring an Ashes double hundred in Adelaide six innings ago, he finds himself in a situation where knives seems to be out for him.
However, Flower, himself a quality batsman while representing Zimbabwe - said he is certain Pietersen's willow will start talking again.

"I will be perfectly honest with you, I am very excited by what I see from KP at the moment," he said.

"I think he's on the verge of being a very heavy scorer again. I love the way he's training and I know when he transfers that to the middle he's going to be a very heavy scorer," said Flower.

He added: "I envisage him having a great summer for England."

With regard to Pietersen's inconvenience at playing the likes of Herath, Flower said: "He's had his obvious battles playing left-arm spin but he is aware of them and is working hard at them."

He went on: "When he was out in Bangladesh, he scored a very, very fine Test century (Pietersen actually made 99) against at least two left-arm spinners. He worked hard in the nets there on his method against left-arm spin and he played them very comfortably."

"Since then, he has had a few ups and downs, but I don't envisage this problem continuing," Flower added ahead of the second of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting at Lord's on Friday.

Reacting to suggestions that Pietersen is saving the big one for the series against India, later in the English season, Flower said: "There is no time for keeping runs back. Lord's will do nicely!"

Meanwhile Flower was still coming to terms with England's astounding win in Cardiff where it seemed rain, which washed out play before lunch on Monday, the last day, would condemn the contest to a draw.

"We thought there was just a three or four percent chance of us winning if we took a few early wickets with the new ball," Flower said after fast bowler Chris Tremlett led the attack with four wickets in the absence of the injured James Anderson.

"But it was definitely the way to go, rather than let the game peter out to a boring draw," he insisted.

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Flower baffled by Trott criticism

Reacting to criticism at Jonathan Trott, Andy Flower says it is unfair to make passing statements on the prolific batsman's slow approach.
Jonathan Trott will return to one of his best hunting grounds at Lord's, with endorsements both in and outside team England.
The prolific number-three batsman, fresh from a man-of-the-match double hundred in a first-Test win over Sri Lanka in Cardiff, on Tuesday night bagged England's men's cricketer of the year award.
Trott - whose previous two Test visits to Lord's have resulted in 226, 184 and a mere 36 not out - was also given a glowing testimony by England coach Andy Flower.
If there have been any qualms about a batsman with a current Test batting average second only to the peerless Don Bradman, among those who have played as many or more matches, it is his scoring rate in all formats.
But Flower is not among the doubters.
"Trott, since he was introduced to this side, has averaged - I'm not sure what - but I think it's above 60 in Test cricket," he said.
"He has been a very solid man to have in our side. I know he's been criticised for his strike rate in one-day cricket. I think in most cases that has been unfair," said Flower.
Trott's latest tour de force, 203 at the SWALEC Stadium, came swiftly enough for England to close out victory despite no help from the Welsh rain and a Sri Lanka first-innings total of 400.
"Certainly I thought this was a superb innings by him - patient, efficient, and he put the bad balls away," added Flower.
"He set the tone not only for this game but the series and, we hope, batting for the summer. Any criticism of him in this instance is unfounded," the coach said.
Flower wants a batting line-up of players who can change the tempo as required.
Flower said: "I think everyone should be able to adjust their games according to the needs of that situation. In Test cricket, there is usually quite a simple formula."
He added: "In limited-overs cricket, it becomes much more complicated, where you have to be a better judge of the situation and then play accordingly. Test cricket is about staying in long enough to score heavy runs, and the run rate is less significant than in limited-overs cricket."
"Of course, everyone has to be adaptable, and we want complete players that can adapt," opined the Zimbabwean.
England on Tuesday called up Surrey swing bowler Jade Dernbach in place of the injured James Anderson, in a squad of 12 for Lord's.
But the coach hinted Steven Finn, close to a Test return in Cardiff, is the front-runner this time.
"Finn looks good to me," he said.
"He looks like he's got his rhythm back, which he lost in Australia. He has done some really good work with Richard Johnson at Middlesex and Gus Fraser - the two guys who know him very well," he said.
"He has also done good work with (England Lions bowling coach) Kevin Shine, and those guys have helped him get back on track," added Flower.
Continuing, Flower said, "Physically, he looks big and strong now - less like a boy and more like a man - and he is bowling with genuine pace. I caught a few balls with the mitt, and he is bowling quick. We will have a decision to make on which bowler to leave out, and it won't be an easy one. But he's got a very good chance of playing at Lord's."

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