Flower stays on as England coach

Andy Flower will be staying on as England team director in a permanent capacity, after the ECB confirmed that he had renewed his contract following negotiations in the build-up to the 2011 home campaign against Sri Lanka and India, reports Cricinfo. Flower, who was first offered the role on a permanent basis in 2009, has overseen back-to-back Ashes victories at home and away, during which time the England team has risen from No. 6 in the ICC Test rankings to third behind India and South Africa. Aside from the achievement of masterminding a first series win in Australia for 24 years, he also helped secure England's first global trophy in 2010, when they won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. Flower's achievements ensured that he was a major target for the BCCI in their bid to replace their World Cup-winning coach, Gary Kirsten, a role that eventually went to his fellow Zimbabwean and predecessor as England head coach, Duncan Fletcher. Flower's reluctance to uproot his young family from their home in Stratford-upon-Avon was a factor in his decision, and by extending his staff contract, rather than offer him a fixed-term deal, the ECB hope to ensure he remains a part of the furniture for the foreseeable future. Flower said: "I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to build on the considerable progress we have made to date as a squad and remain fully committed to developing the side and ensuring we are in a position to realise our objective of becoming the number one side in the world.