Lord's hospitality news: Flower turned Alistair Cook into an international player

25/01/2010

Cricket enthusiasts with Lord's hospitality tickets for the England v Bangladesh clash this summer have learned that Alistair Cook is pleased with the partnership between himself and coach Andy Flower.

The 25-year-old opening batsman played alongside Flower at Essex and the pair have been able to continue their relationship at international level.

On the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh, the two will team up as captain and coach for the first time in a Test match, after first-choice skipper Andrew Strauss was rested for the series.

Cook revealed that working with Flower as a youngster played a part in turning him into the player he is today.

"When you're a raw 19-year-old like I was, Andy had confidence in me and that rubbed off," he said. "Looking back now, you can see that when we batted together he gave me lots of advice."

Cook's first taste of England captaincy came in the Twenty20 defeat to South Africa last November, when the Proteas posted a total of 241 for six. England eventually fell short of their huge target by 84.

Posted by Sam Smith