ANDY FLOWER LEAVES HIS POST AS ENGLAND COACH AFTER DISASTROUS ASHES TOUR

Exclusive: Andy Flower loses job as England coach but will stay on in some capacity in the coaching structure, following Paul Downton's review of disastrous Ashes tour to Australia.

Andy Flower has paid the price for England’s Ashes humiliation and has stood down as England team director as Paul Downton begins his shake up of England cricket. 

Flower could also be soon joined by Kevin Pietersen, whose long term future with the England team is also on the line and will be decided this weekend by Downton, who only officially starts his job as the new managing director on Feb 2.

Downton met both men this week and the news of Flower’s departure will be confirmed by the ECB after Telegraph Sport this morning broke news of the decision to end his reign.

It has become increasingly clear to the ECB and Flower that the split coaching role was not working and they had to unite the one-day and Test teams under the control of one man. Ashley Giles now has a golden opportunity to convince Downton he can replace Flower on a permanent basis when he leads the team in the West Indies next month and at the World Twenty20.

 

GARY BALLANCE CONFIDENT OF HANDLING MITCHELL JOHNSON

England batsman Gary Ballance is confident he can handle Mitchell Johnson when the Ashes man of the series returns for the second one-day international in Brisbane.

Ballance was given a baptism of fire when he made his Test debut in the final Ashes Test against a rampant Johnson earlier this month.

The Australia left-armer finished the series with 37 wickets and was promptly handed a 10-day break to refresh himself for the end of England's troubled tour.

Johnson - who has shaved off his handlebar moustache during his time away - has vowed to resume his short-pitched assault at the Gabba on Friday.

But after seeing first hand what Johnson is capable of, Ballance - who has hit half-centuries in his past two innings - not only believes he can fight fire with fire, but indicated he has faced quicker bowlers in county cricket.

"He bowls at a decent pace but I felt like I could handle it all right," he said.

Asked if he was the quickest bowler he had faced, the left-hander added: "There are a few quick bowlers around; (Tymal) Mills from Essex is quick.

"He's got good pace. We are going to work on it (handling Johnson's speed)."

While Johnson's threat is obvious, Ballance is wary of worrying too much about one man, after Australia's seam attack proved their quality at the MCG.

Clint McKay is Australia's reigning ODI player of the year while Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson are not far behind Johnson on the speed gun.

"They have a good bowling attack and we have to be ready to face all of them," Ballance said.

"He's had a good Test series but we are ready to face him and the rest of their bowlers."

While Ballance knows what to expects from Johnson, England's middle order will front him for the first time this winter.

Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara and Jos Buttler - the key to England's game-plan to accelerate in the late overs - were all not involved in the Ashes.

Ballance is confident they will be able to handle anything Johnson, or Australia's attack, muster on a Gabba pitch suited to the quicks.

"I think most of the guys have faced him, back home in the one-day series then in the Test series," he said.

"Everyone will expect what's coming."

Ballance is one of England's form batsmen after he followed his 79 in the series opener in Melbourne with another half-century in the morale-booting 172-run win over a Prime Minister's XI on Tuesday.

The left-hander is not yet a permanent fixture in England's line-up, but he is feeling more comfortable. "Yeah, I feel good," he said. "I've spent a bit of time in the middle, got a decent score in the first game then to get another fifty was good.

"I've got a bit of confidence and now need to take that into the next game.

"I feel a bit more comfortable. It helps getting a few decent scores. There are a lot of good players around so have to keep working hard and try to make that place my own."

With England team director Andy Flower preparing to begin a "new era" following the Ashes whitewash, positions may become open for the likes of Ballance - the leading run-scorer in the LV= County Championship first division last season - to push their claims.

The Yorkshire batsman is aware of the implications of a good run before heading home at the end of this ODI series.

"Definitely (this is a big series)," he said. "I've had my first few games now and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

"I'm trying to take each game at a time, get myself in and try to get runs."

Victory against the PM's XI in Canberra ended a two-month winless stretch since arriving Down Under, although success over Australia remains on the to-do list.

Ballance hopes the confidence gained in Australia's capital can help turn fortunes around, admitting England can hardly afford to slip 2-0 behind in a five-game series.

"It's nice to get a win after a few losses, especially the first ODI," he said.

"It's very important to get a win. Going down 1-0 wasn't what we wanted. We've got to come back strong tomorrow."

BOB 90 SUPER CUP LAUNCHED WITH DYNAMOS IN THE FINAL ALREADY

The organizing committee of the Bob90 Super Cup held a Press Briefing in Harare and it has been confirmed that only three teams will participate in the tournament according to organizing committee's Director of Public Relations, Charles Mabika. 

Holders Dynamos received a bye and will only feature in the Final. Bosso and the Sunshine City Boys will battle it out at Barbourfields in the only semi final of the tournament on the 15th of February and with the winner meeting Dynamos on the 23rd at Rufaro.

STAR FM's Howard Musonza was at the launch where he spoke the Tournament Director of PR, Charles Mabika who he first asked if the organizers are simply finding ways to accommodate the Harare giants who have featured in this tournament since its inception in 2011.

 

 Mabika defended the decision saying its was not about Dynamos but about form and winning matches. Its not about Dynamos its about form, if Monomotapa had won the tournament last year and were relegated they would still have had a bye and played in the Final" he said.

GOROWA DEFENDS BLUNT STRIKEFORCE AHEAD OF UGANDA TIE

The Warriors will be playing Uganda tomorrow in their second Group B game at the African Nations Championship in Cape Town. Zimbabwe opened their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Morocco, and we could have got all 3 points if the strikers had been more accurate. 

 
However, Warriors coach Ian Gorowa says that he is convinced that he assembled the strongest possible squad for the tournament, which is for locally-based players only. Gorowa believes the only missing striker is Tendai Ndoro who was ineligible as he is now in the Absa Premiership while CHAN is exclusively for those playing in their respective countries’ domestic leagues.

 "Remember these are the best players we selected from Zimbabwe. We chose the best 23 in my opinion, in the technical team’s opinion and obviously out of the best (23) players you’ve got to have the best 11 and I thought in terms of that we did what we had to do against Morocco,” said Gorowa.
“In coming up with the squad I also looked at the goalscorers’ chart and Tendai Ndoro was the top goalscorer but he is not here and that is the case.

“I do not know who was the second and third but remember we were working with Donald for a long time, we were working with Nelson for a long time, Simba also, I think he came to the party.
“With experience and what we have, I thought this is the best striking options which we have.
“Any other options I think we would be experimenting. There were some players, for example one who was playing for Buffaloes and scoring goals, but I don’t think he’s that kind of player which we would want.

“So for me these are the best options we have going forward.”
  The Warriors gaffer also ruled out making big changes to the starting eleven.