Flower: Our fiery Onions is set to blossom

May 10 2009 by Neil Farrington, Sunday Sun

ENGLAND coach Andy Flower has signposted a successful international future for Graham Onions following his dazzling Test debut.

The Durham paceman took seven wickets – five of them in a devastating first-innings burst – to lay the foundation for a 10-wicket victory over the West Indies at Lord’s.

But Flower has told Onions’ club-mate Steve Harmison that he still has every chance of forcing his way back into the England attack ahead of the Ashes series against Australia later this summer.

"I quite like his character, actually," said Flower, of 26-year-old Onions. "He is fiery and aggressive and I don’t think he gives up easily.

"He has got his feet firmly on the floor and that is a nice solid base from which to work.

"He and the other new guy (Tim Bresnan) should be proud of how they handled the situation. They mixed into the team very easily and very well.

"I would also congratulate the senior members of the side for aiding in that seamless welcoming of new guys into our dressing room."

Asked whether 2005 Ashes heroes Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell and Harmison might now find their paths back to the team more treacherous, however, Flower offered them encouragement.

"It should always be hard for anyone to force his way into the Test side, but some of those guys have some really good records behind them," he added.

"I don’t think the fact that we have won one Test in three days changes everything.

"We have played quite nicely and won fairly quickly and comfortably, but that doesn’t change much in my eyes.

"So those guys will hopefully perform really well in any cricket that is available and try to force their way in."

But Flower reserved his warmest words for Ravi Bopara, whose first-innings century at Lord’s suggested he could be the man to fill England’s often troublesome No 3 berth against the Aussies.

"If you watch an artist, if you use that comparison, he painted a lovely picture," said Flower of Bopara’s classy 143.

"He left beautifully outside the off-stump, he moved his feet beautifully, forward and back, and it was a lovely innings to watch."

Bopara was chosen ahead of Vaughan and Bell to bat at first-wicket down and showed that a three-week stint with the Indian Premier League, although not ideal preparation, could be used positively. With just one Test between now and July – against the West Indians at Chester-le-Street next week – his performance in the 10-wicket win appears to have sealed an Ashes spot.

"He handled himself very well and he handled the transition from Twenty20 cricket to Test cricket very well," Flower added.

"We considered all the options and he was the guy to get the go.

"He should be proud of how he handled himself at number three.

"I like his attitude, there is assurance about it but in a nice way. There is a confidence about him but not an arrogance.

"So I think he gets the blend right and he is a popular member of the changing room because of it.

"As soon as I arrived at Essex I saw him and thought ‘wow’. It was no particular innings, it was just the first time I saw him in the nets, when he would have been about 17."

Any doubts about his technique against top-level new-ball bowling, or temperament on the big occasion, were dispelled as he played himself in and later guided England out of danger after the tourists reduced them to 109 for four on the first day.

"He thought he came out of the IPL feeling more relaxed about his game," said Flower.

"Playing in front of those crowds with all the noise and excitement but also playing with and against great players, seeing how some of them behave in the changing room or how they practise did help to relax him.

"Those on-drives he played were almost his signature shot, some of the Essex boys might tell you."

Flower was at pains to stress that neither he nor anyone else in the England camp is over-estimating the significance of their Lord’s victory ahead of the far bigger challenge lying ahead.

It was, nevertheless, a landmark success as the first victory at the start of a Test series in 15 attempts, stretching back to before England won the Ashes in 2005.

Their bid to repeat the feat this year will depend on fitness and availability of their top players, and Flower gave statistical evidence England are now better without Andrew Flintoff, their talisman of four years ago, short shrift.

"I would not say there is any truth in that," he said, despite England winning considerably more matches when the 31-year-old is absent.

"Flintoff is a good man and has been a great player for England and hopefully he will continue in that vain."