Performing Andy Flower may revolutionise England cricket

Having secured the Ashes at least for the next two years, coach Andy Flower believes he is now in a stronger position to convince the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to abandon the defective system of delivering international players for England.

For Flower, the key point on his mind seems to be whether England has what it takes to be the world's number one side.

"There's a lot of talent in English cricket. I'm not sure if the structure of English cricket is perfect for delivering Test cricketers. We've definitely got a talented group here and there is talent in the counties that we see. We think they can do special things,” The Independent quoted Flower, as saying after England took a 2-1 lead in the ongoing Ashes series being played Down Under.

He added: "I hope it's not a battleground between England and the counties. But there is an issue there because the first-class system as a business doesn't seem efficient in England at the moment. It doesn't work financially from what I can see. So, allocation of resources is going to be a tough one to balance for the decision-makers."

Flower's point is he has a decent group of players whom he has helped mould but that it is not made easy.

He has insisted that the players keep their feet on the ground and their hearts and minds in place, and not to get ahead of themselves.

He has strategically paid tribute to the more unsung players in England's team such as Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan, who came into the reckoning after Stuart Broad was ruled out of the series with an injury.

"I think as a coach I feel proud of any one of our guys if they do well. But there are lots of small incidents along the way that contribute to wins or a feeling in a camp that create the right environment,” Flower said.

The backroom boys are the unsung heroes who helped keep tight grip on the urn. They include batting coach Graham Gooch, bowling coach David Saker, fielding coach Richard Halsall and spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, besides others.