Published: Mar 03, 2013, 03:57 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 03, 2013, 03:57 PM (IST)
Andy Flower was impressed with Ian Bell’s (above) performance with the bat in the warm-up match © Getty Images
Queenstown: Mar 3, 2013
England’s Test coach Andy Flower on Sunday expressed disappointment over the team’s defeat against New Zealand XI in the only warm-up match before the start of the Test series against the Kiwis.
“We went into that four-day game wanting to win it,” Flower was quoted as saying by uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Flower admitted that England were below par in the game and lauded New Zealand XI for a good performance.
“Winning is a great habit to keep. But they played pretty well, and I thought we were a little sloppy in a few areas.”
Flower also chose to look at the positives from the game as took note of some good performances by few of the players in the team.
“There were some good things to come out of that game,” he said.
“I thought Bell and Prior were excellent with the bat. The bowlers, after a poor first-innings display, all got better in the second innings.”
“But the crux of the matter is the first Test is four days away, and that’s when it will count. I think there was ring-rustiness there, without a doubt. That was obvious for all to see. The point of playing these games is to get ready for the first Test,” Flower added.
“It was an excellent game of cricket … all in all, a very good outing for everyone,” he concluded.
