Dubai: Former England coach Andy Flower, now here as the assistant coach of the Peshawar Zalmi team, does not find language to be a barrier in his duty of shaping up players for the challenges in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Peshawar, a team made up of players from the Frontier region, mostly speak Pashto and when asked in jest whether he is attempting to learn this language, Flower said: “We got a spread of languages and my intellectual capacity does not allow me to learn Pashto so quickly. Interestingly, all the guys have welcomed the foreigners into the group in a really nice way. They are always willing to speak English pretty much most of the time in team meetings so we feel very welcome and included.”
Flower is so much at home with the team that he is enjoying working with head coach Mohammad Akram and captain Shahid Afridi. “Akram and Afridi are two very good leaders and complement each other. Two excellent performances, it’s the start of the tournament but it’s a great start,” added Flower, who as coach of England and as a player was once a strong rival to Afridi.
When asked how it was to share a dressing room with Afridi, Flower said: “Shahid is an excellent leader and he is a guy whom other players follow. I know him fairly well - playing against him for many years, but reputations can sometimes be misleading. The things you read in the newspapers can be misleading sometimes. We get on very well and there is a nice easy atmosphere about the way Akram combines with Afridi.
This is Flower’s first assignment as coach in a T20 league. “This is my first involvement in a franchise tournament but obviously, I watch other leagues as well with interest. I think it’s an interesting initiative by PCB and it’s important for Pakistan cricket that it proves to be a success.
“It has started successfully. I think there are five excellent sides, we should have brilliant cricket over the next couple of weeks and we have seen skillful performance and there is a lot of talent. It’s nice to see some excellent overseas players, but I think this tournament will be very good for Pakistan youngsters in the way the IPL has benefitted Indian cricket. I think they are mixing their own international players with some overseas players and that will give them a lot of confidence.”
Flower hailed the Dubai Stadium wicket, which he feels is ideal for this league. “Tony (Hemming) is a good groundsman and we have been a bit surprised that its turning more than in the recent series against England. It’s still making for interesting competition and obviously its an excellent venue,” he added.
