England cannot afford complacency to remain No. 1 Test side: Flower

Tuesday, 27 December 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

England cricket coach Andy Flower has reckoned that his team cannot afford complacency in 2012 if it is to remain the No.1 Test side.

England became top-ranked team after defeating Australia and India.

Flower, 43, who is named ‘Coach of the Year’ at the BBC Sports Personality show, has already set future targets for the team.

“We have some great challenges ahead of us and to stay No.1 we’ll have to beat South Africa in the summer. We also have two Ashes series in 2013, a Twenty20 World Cup later next year and we have never won the 50 over World Cup which is in 2015,” The Mirror quoted Flower, as saying.

“We have a lot to work towards and there is no sense of complacency. We have to ensure there is no chance of complacency and I think they are ambitious,” he added.

England must beat South Africa, which is currently ranked third to maintain the top rank.

Flower, who is excited about the future of English cricket, said his rapport with skipper Andrew Strauss can withstand tremendous pressure.