England should aim to be No 1

London: Andy Flower leans forward animatedly and appears ready to punch the air.

His knees smack against the table and his cup of tea totters amid such intensity before, speaking urgently, Flower says, "I'm so glad you brought this up. I find it amazing people are amazed that we talk about being the No 1 side in the world. People make a big thing of it, especially commentators and ex-players."

Opening his eyes wide and pursing his lips in an expression approaching astonishment, which is not a look readily associated with a man as coolly contained as England's coach, Flower shakes his head. "When they played for England did they not want to be the best side in the world? Doesn't every Test team want that goal? Surely? Isn't it very obvious and natural? I find it strange that it's seen as overconfidence or an outlandish goal. Surely that's the goal you should have? Otherwise aren't you selling yourself and your country short?"

Flower's burst of questions, delivered in his mild Zimbabwean accent, need no answer. His commitment to England becoming the best cricket team in the world runs deep as does his belief that the objective will soon be realised.

"Absolutely," he says. "We don't set the goal with the expectation we're just going to talk about it. We haven't put a time limit on it but this series is different because we're playing the current No 1 side in the world."

Most riveting contest

England's four-Test series against India, beginning tomorrow at Lord's, promises to be the summer's most riveting contest. It could also usher in a new world No 1 in the Test rankings.

After successive Ashes victories under Flower, England have risen from No 6, the position they occupied when he became coach two-and-a-half years ago, to being rated the third best team behind South Africa and India.

Yet if they beat India either 2-0 or 3-1 they will become the new leaders of world cricket.

Flower's ambition can be measured in the different weight he lends to the occasion. The series itself is just another step in a relentless drive for improvement so much so that becoming the world's best team has become a short-term aim. England are now pursuing a more lasting legacy.

"I think that's accurate," Flower says, "but we need to get to No 2 first. We'll do that if we win this series, but just beating India doesn't guarantee moving us into the top slot. But, on the eve of this series, I can't help but concentrate on this match and on the first day. That's the important focus."

Flower, however, is in the mood to glance both back and forward before he is consumed again. "It's gone very well over the last two years and we've had really good results. But I'm very keen for it not just to be two good years. We want to establish."