Flower in no danger of getting ahead of himself

It is a long-stated target for Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower’s team to be the first from England to reach the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings.

After their 319-run victory over current table-toppers India at Trent Bridge yesterday, they stand on the verge of realising their ambition.

Yet Flower senses it is now time to stop thinking about the achievement which has been such a source of long-term motivation since the start of his and Strauss’s hugely successful tenure two-and-a-half years ago.

That No 1 status will be in the bag if England can go 3-0 up at Birmingham, with one to play in the four-match Test series.

The coach, however, has identified danger – and futility – in allowing the consequence of a third straight win over a so far out-of-sorts India to distract his players.

“It’s not and it’s important for the side that it’s not at the forefront of our minds,” he said of the impending possibility of No 1 status.

“It’s actually not only pointless to be looking further ahead than that (Edgbaston preparations), it’s dangerous.

“So I would like to emphasise right now – and we’ve done the same in our dressing-room – that we’re ahead in the series but we’re only actually halfway through the series.

“There is no point in triumphalism. We don’t even know if we’re going to go on to win the series yet.”

England then, according to Flower, have won nothing yet against India this summer.

He knows, from personal experience when he was a former world No 1 batsman for Zimbabwe, what it takes to scale the heights and stay there – and points out none of his current charges have done it.

England have four bowlers and two batsmen in the ICC’s Test top 10, updated only yesterday morning.

Stuart Broad is one of those elite bowlers and has also risen to third among the world’s best all-rounders after his man-of-the-match performance in Nottingham.

Flower acknowledges the relevance of his own endeavours to get to the top of the pile in his playing days, and England’s.

“I think it is a reasonable comparison. I think they are both tough,” he said.

“You are competing against the best players and best teams in the world, and everyone is hungry for success.

“Quite rightly, that should promote higher and higher standards.

“They are both tough to achieve, and we have achieved neither yet.”

Jonathan Trott is England’s highest-ranked batsman, even after Ian Bell’s superlative hundred at Trent Bridge.

But Flower confirmed England will be picking cover for Trott in their Test squad on Saturday morning, unless he can demonstrate significant improvement in the shoulder joint he sprained diving in the field in the second Test.

Trott’s chances of taking part on his home ground therefore remain in the balance.

“He is still in a bit of discomfort and nowhere near 100 per cent yet,” Flower added.

“We will monitor his fitness as the week progresses and either provide cover or, if he says he is absolutely fine by Friday, there would be no need to provide cover.”

Graeme Swann’s hand injury is also still a concern, while it seems fast bowler Chris Tremlett is likely to have recovered from his tight hamstring but will face tough competition for a place in the team ahead of Yorkshire’s Tim Bresnan – who replaced him to such great effect.

Typically, Flower is ruling nothing in or out at this relatively early stage.

Of those who could deputise for Trott, uncapped rising star James Taylor was again in form for England Lions against Sri Lanka A today.

“There is a Lions game. There are a number of options,” said Flower.

“I always like keeping our options open; I don’t like making early decisions, because we don’t know what the conditions will be like at Edgbaston.

“Our four seamers are all performing exceptionally well.

“If we keep with three seamers and a spinner, it will be a difficult call to make.

“That sort of competition is a great thing for English cricket.”

Whoever takes the field, England supporters have come to expect success from players who never fail to prepare.

“Our guys train very hard – and with the hardness of that training comes a certain toughness out in the middle,” added the coach.

“They train hard enough to believe they deserve some success.”

bresnan up the test rankings

England heroes Tim Bresnan, Ian Bell and Stuart Broad have been rewarded for their performances in the second Test win over India with significant rises in the ICC rankings.

Yorkshire’s England paceman Bresnan leapt 14 places to 25th in the bowling rankings while his innings of 90 in the second Test against India helped him up to 13th in the all-rounder list.

Batsman Bell, whose 159-run knock helped Andrew Strauss’s side to victory, is into the top five of the governing body’s Test ratings while Broad, who took a hat-trick in the match, is now third in the all-rounder rankings.

Broad is also up to seventh in the bowler ratings after his haul of 8-76.