Boost from the backroom

If England have done their homework well for the forthcoming series against India then all credit should go to Andy Flower of Zimbabwe and Allan Donald of South Africa, both of whom are on the support staff of England coach Peter Moores.
Flower and Donald are two players who, right through the mid and late-1990s, tormented India. Images of Flower sweeping his way to a pile of runs and Allan Donald mouthing unmentionables or bowling a quick yorker will surely be a memory etched in the minds of many.
Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble will be relieved to see that the duo will not be stepping out onto the field from the Lord’s dressing room this week. However, they will be wary of what the two champion Africans can contribute in their new avatar as assistant coaches. Flower and Donald give the English team the edge with their knowledge and mastery over India.
And as stats reveal, there is no one better than this duo to advise Michael Vaughan and his men on what it takes to put the Indians on the mat. Things have hardly changed with the tourists since the duo quit international cricket.
The expertise of Flower and Donald will be put to use in two key areas like in their heydays: Flower in mastering warhorse Kumble, and Donald to explain how he knocked over the Fab Four (Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman). English support staff resembling a Playing XI is normal, but this current team has a ‘bigger feel to it’. England’s head coach Peter Moores believes in playing a larger strategic role and leaving the key areas to the best possible men.
However, the men themselves remain modest about what they can achieve by watching from the sidelines. "There are limitations to how much a coach can do or influence. Ultimately there are 11 men out there who are doing the job and earning the plaudits," Flower admitted to TOI.
While Donald has been seen in a coaching role for a long time now, the transition has been almost overnight for Flower. The Zimbabwean is still getting used to his role. "It’s frustrating and strange that you cannot expend any energy like when you were a player, but it is interesting," says Flower.
So is there any special advice for his new team against India? "Nothing at all. There wouldn’t be anything hugely mysterious. Things have to be kept simple," is Flower’s refrain. Donald is concentrating on the fast bowlers and has the onerous task of getting the pace bowlers on song, especially spearhead Steve Harmison. For Flower, the role is to concentrate on the batsmen.