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In his role at the National Cricket Academy the former Pakistan captain, Rashid Latif, has pledged to nurture the country’s budding players without curbing their natural talent. Latif is leading a three-week development camp for Under-23 players at the National Stadium in Karachi and aims to prepare players mentally and physically.”We wouldn’t have produced a Wasim Akram if the coaches of that time tried to rectify his bowling style. In the camp we will try to polish and retain the natural talent of the players,” said Latif. “Players specially coming from the lower middle class and middle class face problems in their family life which directly affect their performance.”We want to form a highly communicative medium between coaches and the players so that the players could share their problems. Communication gap should cease to exist between players and coaches and an environment should form in which a player willingly comes to the camp.”Latif, who also runs his own cricket academy in Karachi, hoped to also concentrate on instructing coaches as to how to interact with the players. “We also want to increase the expertise of the coaches so that they can get jobs here and in foreign countries as well,” he said.Latif accepted that there was talent at the international level who did not come through the National Academy’s ranks. One such example is that of Umar Akmal, brother of Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran, who impressed during the A tour of Australia and with the senior team in Sri Lanka. “Umar didn’t come into the consideration of selectors for the National Academy. There is a lot of talent going waste in the country,” said Latif, “so we will be sending teams of coaches throughout Sindh so that they could identify talented players and bring them here for grooming their talent.”Latif began working as a wicketkeeper coach for the NCA in June 2008, hired initially for three years to nurture and groom young talent in the country.

Stuart Clark’s position is under threat for the deciding Ashes Test at The Oval, but it’s not such a big deal for the experienced fast bowler. He feels his spot has been in danger ever since he crashed into a baggy green in South Africa three years ago. It’s because his bowling looks slower and less effective than it is. It’s why, at 33, he’s no longer a certainty in either one-day or five days games.In 23 Tests he has 93 wickets and his 3 for 18 in 10 first-innings overs at Headingley flattened England’s middle order, but that performance probably won’t be enough to keep him in the XI for the fifth Test from August 20. Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said this week Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle remained the main men in Australia’s attack, suggesting Clark would only play at The Oval if the conditions suited four quicks.The trio delayed Clark’s entry into the series, but he is not miffed by Hilditch’s thoughts. “I think throughout my 23 Tests there has been talk about my spot in every single one of them,” Clark said. “So it is pretty much business as usual for me.”When in form Johnson is capable of destruction, Siddle provides the batsmen with a hurry-up and Hilfenhaus delivers teasing swing at a testing pace. Then there’s Brett Lee, who offers extreme speed and late movement, but at the moment is fifth in line. While Clark is capable of seam and rushing batsmen, his main weapon is control, a trait losing supporters as quickly as hardcopy newspapers.In six Tests against England it has been a highly-effective method, upsetting 29 batsmen to show old tricks can work in the modern day. “I enjoy playing cricket against England,” he said. “I have had a bit of success and I feel pretty comfortable when I do play against them, there is no secret to it. I have a pretty simple plan and try to keep it simple and it seems to be working for me at the moment.”This weekend he and Lee have their final chances to convince the selectors on this tour when they appear in a two-day game against England Lions at Canterbury. At least a couple of the preferred trio will have a rest, leaving Lee and Clark, first picks less than a year ago, to hope for something spectacular.”You always want to be in the Test team and whether I am is probably neither here nor there,” Clark said.” What I think and what any of the other guys think, and how well they are going and how rapidly they are bowling, doesn’t really matter.”It’s all up to the selectors and the state of pitch at The Oval, which has supported draws throughout the season for Surrey. That’s all Australia need to seal the Ashes after levelling the contest in Leeds on Sunday.The final half-day at Headingley was the worst period of the game for Australia, who were attacked by Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann as they delayed the inevitable loss. Clark, who had chipped in with 32 runs the previous day, was treated the most harshly, going for 74 in 11 overs, a reverse of his instant good fortune in the first innings.His opening effort was more memorable but the late spray, which included being struck for four boundaries in an over by Broad, added some tarnish to his first Test since elbow surgery late last year. “It probably wasn’t a bad day for me because it reminded me that Test cricket is a little bit harder than just running up and bowling and getting a few wickets and a few runs,” he said. “It was a real wake-up call that you need to be on top of your game all the time. If you drop slightly you can pay the ultimate price.” That’s a bit extreme – the spell didn’t cause anyone to stop breathing – but it could be the moment the selectors come back to when they list their XIs for The Oval.

Nathan Hauritz ignored a badly bruised middle finger to dismantle England’s top order but his brave performance was not enough to stop Australia from needing a monumental effort to save the second Test. Hauritz, who suffered a dislocation on Thursday, felt few signs of discomfort in taking the first three wickets before tiring late in the day as the hosts sped towards a lead of 521.He now has nine victims, the same number as Ben Hilfenhaus, to lead Australia in the series, a result which was unthinkable two weeks ago when Hauritz was battling for control and Brett Lee was still fit. After coming from the fringes of the New South Wales squad in 2008-09, he has developed to the point where he is now a threat even when not fully fit.Given four overs either side of lunch after Australia were dismissed for 215 in reply to England’s 425, he trapped Alastair Cook playing back to a ball that failed to spin. In his next over he removed Andrew Strauss, edging to first slip, and there was briefly some hope from the tourists that they might have an achievable chase.Kevin Pietersen arrived, lifting Hauritz over midwicket for four, and Hilfenhaus was called immediately to replace the offspinner at the Nursery End. His figures read 4-1-12-2, but he had to wait until the third session for another opportunity.A thoughtful player who captained youth teams growing up in Queensland, he was partly to blame for the decision. “I even suggested it to Ricky,” he said. “Ben bowled the best out of our bowlers in the first innings and it was two right-handers and the ball was swinging. He looked like getting wickets pretty regularly and he bowled pretty tight.” The plan didn’t work and Hilfenhaus returned 0 for 59.It didn’t take Hauritz long to strike again when he was recalled, with Ravi Bopara bumping a catch to Simon Katich at short leg. Life became harder after that as Matt Prior and Paul Collingwood lifted the run-rate and Hauritz finished with 3 for 80 in 16 overs.In the morning he felt surprisingly good considering the damage a Strauss straight drive caused on the opening day. “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to bowl yesterday,” he said. “I spent the past two nights icing. The hardest thing today was spreading my fingers along the ball.”The middle finger takes a lot of the pressure, but once the adrenalin kicked in it became a lot easier. The only problem was the fingers did get tired really quickly because of the strength there.” There was also pain when he misfielded a ball at square leg off Andrew Flintoff and his hand touched the ground forcefully.Hauritz’s other main moment of action had come when he lunged low at mid-on to scoop at a flimsy pull from Bopara. After picking up the ball, risking more damage to his finger as it was squeezed into the field, he threw it in the air, but neither the bowler Mitchell Johnson nor the umpires were convinced. The decision was referred to the Nigel Llong, the TV official, who ruled it not out due to the doubt created by the camera angles.”I thought I caught it straight away,” Hauritz said. “I said to Rudi, ‘I caught it’, and he went to refer it and said it was inconclusive. I didn’t hear it hit the ground but the third umpire said it was inconclusive.”Australia’s only realistic hope over the next two days is to bat out the match to achieve a draw. England will declare early on the fourth morning – they had hoped to close the innings before stumps today but the light deteriorated – and Hauritz insisted they still had a chance.”We batted last week and scored over 600 in Cardiff,” he said. “We obviously didn’t bat as well as we would have liked in the first innings but that happens, that’s cricket. Whatever it takes, we’re going to have almost two days of batting. We just have to have a positive outlook and back our ability, that’s what we have to do.”

Scorecard
Paul Stirling falls to Steve Tikolo•ICC

Ireland gained the upper hand on the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya despite the absence of a powerful performance from any of their players. They began the day with an opportunity to seize a large first-innings lead but ended up with only a handy one, which they built on after a few hiccups in their second innings.Kenya resumed at their overnight score of 239 for 6, trailing by 165 runs in the first innings, but were jolted early on by the dismissal of Jimmy Kamande for 73, lbw to Regan West, after an addition of only eight runs this morning. Ireland had their opening to secure a lead in excess of 100 but faced resistance from Thomas Odoyo and Peter Ongondo, who made 46 and 24 respectively to whittle the deficit towards unthreatening proportions. The innings ended when West trapped Elijah Otieno with the score on 331, securing a 73-run lead for Ireland.Steve Tikolo had taken six wickets in Ireland’s first innings and he swiftly took his match tally to eight, bowling Paul Stirling for 6 before picking up Jeremy Bray for 15. Ireland slipped into more trouble – 47 for 3 – when Andre Botha was run out by the wicketkeeper Maurice Ouma. The innings needed an anchor and found one in Alex Cusack who played patiently and shared useful, if not substantial, partnerships of 42 with Kevin O’Brien and 50 with Andrew White. He ended the day on 55 not out and steered Ireland to 139 for 4, leading by 212 runs in the second innings with a day to play.

Match facts

Thursday, June 11
Start time 13.30 local (12.30 GMT)Kevin O’Brien celebrates Ireland’s comfortable win against Bangladesh•Getty Images

Big Picture

However far Ireland progress in this tournament, they have done enough to confirm their standing as comfortably the best Associate. The moment they qualified for the ICC World Twenty20, they had Bangladesh in their sights and duly knocked them aside on Monday with a comprehensive six-wicket win. Subdued celebrations followed, perhaps owing to their increased belief of challenging Test nations, but moreover the realisation that the next hurdle will be far trickier to leap.That they are facing an injured New Zealand can only help, however. Jesse Ryder has been ruled out with severe pain in his groin, and remains in hospital suffering from “a significant infection”, while Ross Taylor’s hamstring has forced the selectors to rest him. Daniel Vettori, the captain, continues to recover from a shoulder niggle and may not play, though James Franklin ought to return after his knee injury. This puts tremendous pressure on the support players to perform immediately; if they have even one eye off the ball, they will pay. Ireland may be an Associate, but unlike Scotland they fear no-one.Ireland, too, have injury concerns. Niall O’Brien damaged his ankle in Ireland’s last match, while Trent Johnston has a sore shoulder, forcing both players to be rested for their match against India. Ireland desperately need their best players, including this pair, to be fit and firing if they are to challenge a bruised New Zealand.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWWL
They crushed Scotland’s plucky little effort and nearly beat South Africa, losing by just one run. Injuries or not, New Zealand can never be written off in one-day cricket and thrive as the underdog.Ireland LWWNW
Three of those wins for Ireland have come against Associates. The 138 they chased against Bangladesh is comfortably their highest score in Twenty20s, a format that Associates rarely play.

Watch out for…

Brendon McCullum, who has yet to produce a scintillating knock but threatened against South Africa with an oddly-paced 57 from 54. His chastening tenure captaining Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL might, conversely, inspire him to lead from the front with the bat for his country instead. They need him to.The O’Brien brothers are a force to be reckoned with. Niall, the hot-headed wicketkeeper, is the more naturally gifted; his deft stumping to dismiss Mahmudullah was opportunistic and classy. But his younger brother, Kevin, hits the ball longer and farther than most in the Ireland team, as his devastating 39 from just 17 balls to be Bangladesh testified. Trent Johnston, 35-years-young, is loving every moment of his cricket in the last few months, too, and performing very well with the ball.

Team news

New Zealand will miss Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor (hamstring), while Daniel Vettori (shoulder) is still a doubt. The Otago batsman, Aaron Redmond, has been called up as cover, but James Franklin (knee) should return.New Zealand: (possible) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Martin Guptil, 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Neil Broom, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Scott Styris, 7 Peter McGlashan (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 James Franklin, 10 Ian Butler, 11 Kyle MillsNiall O’Brien (ankle) and Trent Johnston (shoulder) both missed Ireland’s match against India, and Ireland dearly need both if they are to challenge New Zealand.Ireland: (possible) 1 Jeremy Bray, 2 William Porterfield (capt), 3 Niall O’Brien (wk), 4 Gary Wilson, 5 John Mooney, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Trent Johnston, 8 Alex Cusack, 9 Kyle McCallan, 10 Regan West, 11 Boyd Rankin

Pitch and conditions

Trent Bridge has offered plenty of runs – Sri Lanka smacked 192 for 5 against West Indies – and enough turn to keep the spinners interested. There ought to be some early movement for both sides’ seamers on what is expected to be another overcast day.

Stats and Trivia

• Before today’s matches, Ireland had hit more sixes (5) than Sri Lanka (4)
• Each team could have a pair of brothers playing: the O’Briens for Ireland and New Zealand’s McCullums.

Quotes

“I was happy enough just to catch it and I thought I might as well take the bails off for good measure.”
“I’m going get a couple more physios to get round us all.”
tries to find eleven fit cricketers.

Clive Lloyd has expressed disappointment and concern over the IPL’s impact on the West Indian team, fearing another poor showing against England in Durham could erode the foundations laid by Chris Gayle’s men over the past 18 months. Lloyd, the former West Indian captain and current chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, said the arrival of Gayle from the IPL less than two days before the Lord’s Test had set a bad example for the rest of the Windies players, and the absence of Dwayne Bravo was being sorely felt.Gayle scored 28 and 0 in West Indies’ dispiriting 10-wicket defeat against England at Lord’s, and was among those to turf crucial catches in the hosts’ first innings. The Windies’ poor fielding, Lloyd argued, was a direct result of the team’s interrupted build-up to the series, and Gayle’s decision to extend his stay with the Kolkata Knight Riders had hardly helped in that regard.”It concerns me because our players are not here early enough, and some of them are not here at all,” Lloyd told Cricinfo. “I am disappointed that Bravo is not here. We’re not playing our best team. It is disappointing.”I found [Gayle’s late arrival] pretty strange, because as captain you want to be there with your team, and with your team early. I’ve always said – with all teams – that they should be playing more games before a Test match. Coming this early in England, you need to get some games under your belts, get accustomed to the conditions. Catching is important here. If it’s cold, and if you’re not accustomed to that, you will drop catches, as they’ve done here.”You can’t drop six catches and expect to win a Test match. Had they taken 75 percent of those catches, it might have been a different Test match. They did very well in New Zealand and against England in the West Indies, and they looked like they were just about levelling off, but there we go again, back to square one. It’s like digging a hole to fill a hole. We have to be serious with our players and make sure they represent us in the right manner.”Lloyd hinted he was not entirely convinced at the reasons offered by the West Indies board for Bravo’s continued participation for the Mumbai Indians while the Test series in England proceeds. Bravo was officially stood down from the two Tests against England after the Windies medical staffed deemed his ankle not yet ready for the rigours of Test cricket, but some, including respected Caribbean commentator Tony Cozier, have pondered whether Bravo’s move was in some part motivated by his well-publicised feud with the WICB. The player himself is clearly not feeling any side-effects, having starred for Mumbai Indians with a matchwinning 70 not out on Tuesday”The point is we have a guy called Bravo, who is still playing in the IPL,” Lloyd said. “He’s one of our best all-rounders. Had he been here bowling-wise and catching, he would add a lot to the team. Whenever he plays in our team, our fielding goes up another 15 percent. We miss him terribly, there’s no doubt about it. I find that you shouldn’t be choosing [domestic] one-day cricket over your Test match or Test series. Test matches are what we’re known for. This guy was probably given permission to stay, I don’t know the whole thing, but I would love to see him here.”Lloyd, a long-time resident of Manchester, was sceptical of Gayle’s argument that the springtime pitch conditions in England contributed to his side’s heavy defeat at Lord’s. “They’ve been playing county cricket a month before that,” he said. “It’s a matter of getting here early, getting in your nets, working hard at your fielding and your batting. It’s Test cricket – you have to be at your best. It’s a Test of your character and your skills. That’s why it’s called a Test match. You’ve got to be on top of your game.”For the full audio interview with Clive Lloyd, tune into Cricinfo’s Switch-Hit programme from Thursday

Match facts

May 6, 2009
Start time 16.30 (14.30GMT)RP Singh will need to lift his game a level higher to make up for Fidel Edwards’ absence•AFP

Big Picture

Three points separate seven teams at around the half-way stage. So tight is the table that on Tuesday, Rajasthan Royals jumped from No. 7 to No. 2 with their win against Kings XI Punjab, only to be pushed back to third following Delhi Daredevils’ victory over Kolkata Knight Riders later in the night. No one team can be convinced of making the semi-finals, which makes almost every game in these middle stages crucial. Especially when Deccan Chargers are playing Mumbai Indians, two teams that started off so well they were talked of as title contenders.Deccan started their campaign with four straight wins, twice the number of matches they won last year, but three matches later they have a losing streak to overcome. Fidel Edwards has been a big loss for them, and they need to somehow get back to winning ways.Mumbai have their own problems, not the least losing Zaheer Khan to a shoulder injury. They have won just one out of their last three games, and quite incredibly stand at No. 7. Tomorrow’s game, though, is sure to change the top four in the points table. If Deccan win, they will rise to No. 2, if Mumbai win, they will enter the top four, displacing Deccan.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Deccan Chargers – LLLWW
Ryan Harris, Edwards’ replacement, went for 39 runs in his four overs against Chennai Super Kings.Mumbai Indians – LWLWL
Lasith Malinga hasn’t opened the bowling in his last two games, and has gone for 47 runs in 7.1 overs – a big contrast to the 57 he had given away in 14.2 previous overs.

Watch out for

RP v Tendulkar and Jayasuriya: In Edwards’ absence, RP Singh could well determine which way Deccan go from here on. He has achieved a personal target through this IPL, a return to the Indian squad for the World Twenty20, but now is the time for him to take his game a notch higher. His key men in the opening spell will be Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar. RP got Jayasuriya out for 1 in the previous match, but he will know a lot of it was down to the pressure Edwards created.Malinga v Gilchrist and Gibbs: The last time these two teams met, Malinga proved too hot, but the Deaccan openers found a way around him, managing 93 runs between them off 64 deliveries. Malinga bowled a double-wicket maiden, the last over of the innings, in his 4-1-19-3.

Team news

Deccan could try Chaminda Vaas ahead of Harris. And their other trouble has been the No. 3 batsman. VVS Laxman has scored 19 in five innings, Azhar Bilakhia hasn’t been too impressive either.Deccan: 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt./wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 VVS Laxman/Azhar Bilakhia, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 Ravi Teja, 8 Harmeet Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 RP Singh, 11 Chaminda Vaas/Ryan Harris.Most of Mumbai’s team discussion will revolve around finding a replacement for Zaheer, who fell badly on his shoulder, while fielding during the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Dhawal Kulkarni and left-arm medium-pacer Rahil Shaikh are the frontrunners.Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Saurabh Tiwary have failed to set the world alight, but Mumbai will have to pick two of the three, unless they spring a complete surprise.Mumbai: 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar (capt.), 3 JP Duminy 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 and 7 Shikhar Dhawan/Saurabh Tiwary/Ajinkya Rahane , 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Pinal Shah (wk), 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni/Rahil Shaikh.

Stats and trivia

• Gilchrist has scored 210 runs in the tournament, while his Mumbai counterpart, Tendulkar, has 209. Matthew Hayden holds the orange cap with 289.

Head-to-head

In their first game this season, Deccan won when Mumbai lost their way following the strategy time-out of their chase of 169.Last year Mumbai were ambushed by Gilchrist in their first match. Gilchrist smashed 109 off 47 balls to set up Deccan’s ten-wicket victory. However, Deccan’s top order collapsed in the second match as they slipped to a 25-run defeat in Hyderabad.

Almost from the moment Yorkshire prodigy Joe Root picked up a cricket bat, comparisons with Michael Vaughan were bestowed upon him. A calm and composed right-handed top-order batsman much in the mould of the former England captain, Root’s cricketing destiny has been mapped out ever since Yorkshire coach Kevin Sharp spotted his potential as a youngster.The accolades have since flowed; almost as freely as the runs. Root, now 18, first represented Yorkshire Schools at the age of 11, going on to score over 2,000 runs at an average of over 50 and was awarded a prestigious scholarship at Headingley just two years later.Then, after promotion from scholarship to the club’s academy side in 2007, he was named Player of the Tournament as the team triumphed in the Academy Arch Trophy tournament in Abu Dhabi just before Christmas last year, finishing with 276 runs at an average of 69, with a top score of 110.And, after returning to his Sheffield home from the Middle East, Root declined the opportunity for a well-earned winter break – instead opting to pack his bags for South Africa, where he enjoyed a successful close season in Bloemfontein representing esteemed St. Andrew’s Boy’s School.Touching down in England with three centuries and five fifties under his belt, Root immediately set his sights on glory with both Yorkshire and England. Clearly, this is a youngster not prepared to sit back and let fate take its course.”I now have a massive head-start on the majority of other players around now,” Root said. “I’m now mentally confident having found a nice bit of form just coming into the new season. It was a fantastic boost to my game, as well as giving me the chance to experience the different playing conditions and a different cricketing environment.”Whilst a number of other young cricketing hopefuls spent the off-season casually relaxing with an occasional indoor net thrown in, Root has been expanding both his technique and knowledge of the game – an investment he hopes will pay dividends when Yorkshire and England’s Under-19s re-assess their personnel ahead of the new season.”In terms of Yorkshire, I am currently trying to break into the second team and hopefully play some games there, show them what I can do,” said Root. “This time next year, I would have liked to have cemented a spot in Yorkshire’s second team and made a big score, and I really want to push for the first team as soon as possible.”And although he was he was left out of the England one-day squad which toured South Africa in January, Root is hoping to force his way into the selectors’ thinking ahead of a three-Test series against Bangladesh Under-19s in July. “England have currently dropped me,” he said, “but with the way I’m currently playing, if I keep going as I am then it will make it really hard for them not to pick me.”The comparisons with Yorkshire team-mate Vaughan were aided by the similarities in their respective rises to prominence. Both are Sheffield-based top order batsmen, with an organised aura at the crease and a classical cover drive.The pair learned their trade at Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club before progressing through the ranks at both county and international level – and have both subsequently suffered rejection by their country for winter tours.The omission of Vaughan’s name from the squad for the tour of the Caribbean over the icy months may have been the more notable of the two – but Root issued a glowing testament to his hero, insisting: “Michael is still such a good player, and I think England will definitely need him for the summer’s Ashes series.”Right from the start, he is the player I always most wanted to emulate – even from when he first burst on to the scene. Now, it’s nice to be able to catch up with him at training sessions and pick his brains – it gives you a lot of confidence knowing you have these people to talk to.”Root is approaching one of the most important seasons in his career in the form of his life. Whether he emulates, or even surpasses, his hero Vaughan remains to be seen but, as a focused young man determined to realise the most common of cricketing aspirations – “Ultimately, I want to play for England,” – the teen has a better chance than most.

Scorecard
Captain Jamie How led from the front with a patient 161 as New Zealand A piled on the runs in Queenstown. Wicketkeeper Peter Ingram and James Franklin provided able support with solid fifties as the hosts finished strongly on a luckless for the England Lions bowlers.Resuming on 22 for 1, the overnight batsmen, How and Ingram, continued strongly and slowly inched their way to fifties. Mark Davies, who picked up the only wicket to fall on the previous day, finally struck, getting Ingram caught behind by Ben Scott for 73. The partnership yielded 177 runs with Ingram stroking 11 boundaries during his 161-ball innings.How soon brought up his hundred and together with Kane Willamson added 55 for the third wicket. Gareth Batty bowled Willamson for 22 with the score on 236 but any hopes of further breakthroughs quickly vanished as Franklin and How batted England Lions out of the game.How remained unbeaten, hitting 20 fours and a six in his 328-ball stay, while Franklin’s 130-ball 83 comprised 13 boundaries and a six.

Andy Flower has said he will consider applying for the England head coach role when it is officially advertised in the next few days. He is currently in an interim position after the sudden departure of Peter Moores in January, but despite difficulties for the team on the tour of West Indies it has given him the hunger to try for the top job.”I have really enjoyed doing it so far,” Flower said. “I am sure there are many experienced, fine coaches out there but I haven’t quite made my decision yet.”Shortly before departing on the tour Flower said he would see how the trip developed before deciding whether to aim for the full-time position, which could become a team director position instead of the old-style coach.If he helped England turn around the 1-0 deficit and claim the series over the next two Tests that would strengthen his credentials, although he faces tough competition with the ECB likely to want leading world figures to apply. In the aftermath of Moores’ departure, the current Kent director of cricket Graham Ford became one of the frontrunners, but Flower said he has plenty to offer.”[There’s] my experience as a Test cricketer and the fact that I’ve been involved with these guys for almost two years. I know the personnel involved and I believe I can help gel a unit together,” hesaid.One key factor that may count against him, however, is his closeness to Moores. When Kevin Pietersen made his demands for the team structure, which ultimately cost him the captaincy, Flower was also on the list of people he wanted out. “Peter Moores is a good friend of mine and I really enjoyed working with him,” Flower said. “If I am too closely associated with him that is for someone else to decide.”Flower’s first priority though is to ensure England don’t dwell on the disappointment of the near-miss in Antigua when West Indies saved the Test with nine wickets down. “It was very disappointing,” he said. “We dominated the whole Test and didn’t win in the end, so it did feel abit like a loss.”He supported Andrew Strauss’s tactics in batting on to leave a target of 503 although England’s continued struggle to take 20 wickets remains a concern. Since the back-to-back series against New Zealand last year England have only bowled a side out twice on one occasion – against South Africa at The Oval.”Declaration-wise it allowed the captain to set attacking fields throughout the day and I suppose the proof is in the pudding,” Flower said. “We didn’t get 10 wickets, we only got nine of them. There have been a few cases, so we have to examine why. Are we doing the right things with reverse swing? Are we bowling reverse swing in the right way? Are our spinners having the right effect in the last innings? Questions have to be asked.”England have a two-day game starting on Sunday to give their squad players and outing and the match may include Ravi Bopara and Amjad Khan, who have been called in as cover for Andrew Flintoff. They are only due to arrive from the Lions tour of New Zealand shortly before the game, but England will want to assess their options.