Andrew Strauss backs Andy Flower to return to coaching in England

Flower, the former England men's head coach, left his role with the Lions last month following a 12-year association with the governing body

Andrew Strauss has backed Andy Flower to make a quick return to coaching in England after the Zimbabwean parted company with the ECB.

Flower, the former England men's head coach, left his role with the Lions last month following a 12-year association with the governing body.

Flower has already secured a coaching job in franchise cricket - he will take charge of Maratha Arabians in this year's T10 League - and he is in consideration for a position in the 2020 Pakistan Super League. However, Strauss believes he is not yet done with English cricket.

"Andy was by far the best coach I ever worked with, a great man and had incredible success with the England cricket team," Strauss told PA.

^{Andrew Strauss, right, believes Andy Flower will be back in English cricket}

"We certainly haven’t seen the end of Andy Flower yet. I would not be at all surprised if we saw him in a high-profile coaching role again.

"Maybe not with the ECB, but in the English game somewhere. I sincerely hope he stays involved in English cricket, rather than going abroad somewhere."

Strauss, meanwhile, has returned to the ECB as chair of their cricket committee.

The former national captain had spent the best part of a year away from the governing body, having left his position as director of England men's cricket in October 2018 to care for his wife Ruth, who subsequently passed away following a cancer battle.

"It’s me dipping my toe back into the game of cricket. The ECB cricket committee has a very broad reach overseeing professional cricket in the country, but also women’s cricket and disability cricket and the pathway to the top," he said.

"It keeps me engaged and cricket is in my blood so I want to be involved in some way, but it’s about juggling it with the foundation."