The English team was without their head coach Andy Flower on the second day of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, because he had to undergo a surgery to remove an outgrowth in his right cheek, which is believed to be cancerous.According to the English Cricket Board, Andy Flower is fine and there is nothing to worry about. The ECB spokesperson said, “As far as he is concerned, it is business as usual. He was not at the game today, because he had a melanoma taken out - which was successful. At this stage, he is expected to be fine.”
The spokesman went on to say, “He went off for a routine check, and they said they felt it prudent to take it out. He may well be back on deck tomorrow, or most definitely the following day."
According to details, it was this week, when Flower noticed the growth and decided to get it checked. Luckily, for him, the doctors detected his carcinoma just in time before it could spread. He was advised to get it removed, to avoid any future complications. The 42-year-old decided not to take any chances and opted for the surgery.
According to details, the growth was not big enough to be dangerous and only a minor operation was required to remove it completely. Flower is expected to recover before the end of the Test.
Australia has the most qualified cancer doctors in the world and the English Coach picked the right place to get his cancer removed. Early diagnose of Andy’s cancer means an almost complete eradication of the disease from his system. He is now recuperating from the surgery in the team hotel. Although, Flower was not in the ground to watch his bowlers rattle the Australian batting line up, but he was given a pleasant surprise by the news that his bowlers had given the Aussies a tough time on his return to the hotel.
In the absence of the head coach, the fielding coach Richard Halsall has been given charge of the national squad.
Flower has played 63 Tests scoring 4794 runs and 213 ODIs scoring 6786 runs for his national side Zimbabwe, where he played most games as a wicketkeeper.
The former Zimbabwean batsman has been a phenomenal coach ever since he joined the English squad in 2007 as an Assistant Coach. However, his real skills became prominent when he was finally made the head coach of England. Ever since, England have been gradually improving in their game and today Andy is coaching an English side which is being considered as the strongest English outfit in nearly twenty years. It was under Flower’s impressive coaching that England, for the first time in their history, managed to grab an ICC trophy by becoming the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Champions.
Flower has managed to bind all the English players as a tight unit and now every player is giving his best to perform for the team. It is because of the coach’s attitude that there exists complete harmony among the members of the squad and this is the reason why every player is backing his teammate. Andy Flower has done a great job with this English outfit and the boys are out there to make him proud.
