FOR once England head into a summer of cricket with the world at their feet – and it is about time coach Andy Flower started getting the credit for helping the Three Lions bloom.

We have the Ashes in our possession and are the best Twenty20 team in the world. England have quietly become a competitive outfit in all formats and it stems from when Flower took over.

In all fairness to Duncan Fletcher and, to a lesser extent, Peter Moores, England have always been able to match the best in Test cricket. But they never got to grips with the limited overs game and stumbled from one disaster to another.

Flower has changed all of that and his ability to identify players and mould them into a winning team is impressive.

He has the undoubted respect of the dressing room – and rightly so. After all, he was ranked as the best batsman in the world when in his pomp for Zimbabwe and the way he stood up to Robert Mugabe’s regime was brave and commendable.

His international playing career might have been cut short as a result, but he is quickly becoming one of the best coaches in the world. And, not content with a winning starting 11, he is putting together a squad that can cope with the demands of cricket at the highest level.

Key duo Paul Collingwood (apparently referred to as Colin by David Cameron when he met the Prime Minister this week) and Stuart Broad might not be playing against Bangladesh in the Test series that kicks-off today, but the team does not look much weaker.

Providing Eoin Morgan, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn realise their potential in the five-day format, England will suddenly have some selection posers.

Pros in the zone

WHAT an achievement by Bradshaw and their professional Usman Arshad on Saturday.

He smashed 191 not out from just 127 balls as his side scored a Bolton League record 436-4 against Tonge. It was his first game for the club and announced his arrival in style.

In fact, it was a good weekend for a few more Pakistan professionals with Sohaib Maqsood (100 and 5-68), Adil Nisar (125 not out), Waqas Ahmed (65 and 4-61), Asif Zakir (113 not out) and Usman Tariq (85), to name a few, all in fine form.

Because of new visa requirements, professionals from the sub-continent are harder to bring into the country. They certainly look like they are worth the effort.