0
KOLKATA: England coach Andy Flower is going back to the drawing board, questioning the work on preparing the team's batting after the 5-0 one-day international series whitewash by world champions India at Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
“We obviously haven't got the players into a good enough state to deal with the challenges of playing spin, judging length and moving feet,” the former Zimbabwe international told Sky Sports.
“I thought we'd learnt lessons from three years ago and put in place training drills which would equip our batsmen to deal better with the conditions out here, but I'm obviously wrong in that regard.
“This is a bad setback for us and we have to go back to the drawing board in terms of playing one-day international cricket in the sub-continent.”
Flower was appointed coach in April 2009 and has enjoyed a successful period in charge with Twenty20 World Cup victory in May last year and two straight Ashes series wins against Australia in 2009 and 2010-11.
England also knocked India off the test rankings top spot during the 4-0 series whitewash in August and the following month easily beat the world champions 3-0 in the 50-over format.
Despite the small totals set by England in the recent five matches --- only once did his side score more than 250 runs --- Flower was cheered by his bowlers' performances in batsman-friendly conditions.
“I think our bowling side has showed glimpses of skill and if there'd been reasonable totals on the board they would have been better at defending them.
“But unfortunately the bowlers have had to bowl to very attacking fields all the time, because that was the only way to win the game because of our under-par totals.”
The two teams meet again for a lone Twenty20 International at the same venue on Saturday before England return home.
