IPL: Lucknow Super Giants part ways with head coach Andy Flower

LSG announced that they have ended their association with Andy Flower as the head coach after the end of the two-year term

New Delhi: IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) announced on Friday that they have ended their association with Andy Flower as the head coach after the end of the two-year term.

Under Flower’s coaching, LSG had reached the playoffs after finishing third in points table twice, before crashing out in the eliminator in IPL 2022 and 2023. “Dear Andy, Today it’s farewell, but it’ll never be goodbye because you’ll always be one of our own. Thank you for everything!,” wrote LSG on their twitter handle.

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Since his international cricket playing days with Zimbabwe came to an end, Flower has made a name for himself in the coaching circuit.

He guided England to Ashes wins in 2009 and 2013 at home, and more importantly, in Australia in 2010-11.

Flower was also the head coach of England winning the 2010 Men’s T20 World Cup title in the West Indies, before stepping down from the role in 2014, and moved towards working in England’s pathway systems for next five years.

He then worked as assistant coach for Punjab Kings in the IPL for two seasons before joining the newly-created Lucknow franchise in 2022.

The former Zimbabwe cricketer also served as head coach of Gulf Giants in UAE’s ILT20 competition and of Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year, apart from coaching Trent Rockets to the Men’s Hundred title last year.

More recently, Flower had joined the Australian camp ahead of the World Test Championship final against India and for the ongoing Ashes in England in a consultancy role, apart from commentating on the Men’s ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, former Australia men’s head coach Justin Langer is the front-runner to replace Flower as LSG head coach. Langer coached Perth Scorchers to three Big Bash League titles, apart from being at the helm when Australia won the Men’s T20 World Cup title in 2021 in the UAE.