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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

England to reset goals for 'constant self-improvement', says Flower

England coach Andy Flower has said that his world No.1 ranked Test team will set fresh goals in an attempt to continue their upward curve.Flower said that the team has always had a goal of constant self-improvement, and insisted that it won't change because of their ranking points change.We used the goal to be No.1 as a motivational tool, but now we have achieved that what Strauss and I don't want to do is just to hang on to No.1 status," the Telegraph quoted Flower, as saying."That's not a very exciting way to go about our business. We are going to have to reset our goals and I'd like to do that not only with the captains, but with the team," he added. Flower further said that the new goals would include winning away against Pakistan (in the UAE), Sri Lanka and India, and targeting the World Test Championship in 2013."We've got the individual Test series which are very important in their own right. This winter we go to play Pakistan and Sri Lanka, two sides England lost to when they last toured those countries. Then we'll have the World Test Championship for the first time in 2013, which is in England," the coach said."That is certainly something we are striving for - we have to be in the top four to get into the semi finals - and we are going to be working hard between now and then to ensure that we are a strong unit ready for that semi-final," he added.England claimed the number-one Test ranking for the first time in 32 years after winning the Edgbaston Test against India by an innings and 242 runs, which has also given it an impregnable 3-0 lead in the four-Test series.To top the championship table for the first time under the current ranking system, which was introduced in June 2003, Flower's side needed to win the series by a 2-0 margin or better