Flower set for sad Zimbabwe exit

Nathan Shamuyarira, information secretary for the governing ZANU-PF party in Zimbabwe, put it simply during an interview with a Johannesburg radio station earlier in the tournament. “Flower is…not a Zimbabwean,” he said. “He is British.” Flower, Cape Town-born, Zimbabwe-bred and with an English wife, could end up being just that — British — or even Australian. He seems set to divide his future between England and Australia, playing county — he was a big success at Essex last year — and state cricket.

Rarely can a player have made such a stressful, unhappy exit from the international game, although team mate Henry Olonga — a Zambian, according to Shamuyarira — finds himself in similar circumstances. The two set their own agenda in protesting against human rights abuses and “mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe”. They also wore black arm and wristbands for a couple of World Cup matches before being pressured to desist. Flower, in all probability, had accepted that his declaration would mean the end of his Zimbabwe career.

Aged 34 and still at the top of his game, he might have played on for several years more, as a specialist batsman rather than wicketkeeper after agreeing to groom Tatenda Taibu as his successor behind the stumps. Flower will be remembered as a neat gloveman and a tenacious, flinty, formidable left-handed batsman who delved deep into the psychology of his art. No one sold his wicket more dearly.

If he does not play again, he will retire with a Test average of 51.54, his 4,794 runs coming from 63 matches. But there is still time to improve on his first-class statistics of 54.75 runs for each visit to the crease.

Flower, an articulate man who has played alongside brother Grant for most of his international career — they often call in Afrikaans when batting together to confuse opponents — made an immediate impression for ‘his country’. (Reuters)