Grant Flower facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Grant Flower

Flower in 2005
Personal information
Born	(1970-12-20) 20 December 1970 (age 54) Salisbury, Rhodesia
Nickname	Flower Power
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Slow left arm orthodox
Role	Opening batsman
Relations	Andy Flower (brother)
International information
National side	Zimbabwe (1992–2010)
Test debut (cap 7)	18 October 1992 v India
Last Test	26 February 2004 v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 27)	25 October 1992 v India
Last ODI	17 October 2010 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	68
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1994/95–2003/04	Mashonaland
2002	Leicestershire
2005–2010	Essex
2010/11	Mashonaland Eagles
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 67 221 188 366 Runs scored 3,457 6,571 10,898 10,758 Batting average 29.54 33.52 37.19 34.92 100s/50s 6/15 6/40 23/58 13/69 Top score 201* 142* 243* 148* Balls bowled 3,378 5,462 12,511 8,962 Wickets 25 104 166 188 Bowling average 61.48 40.62 33.76 35.77 5 wickets in innings 0 0 3 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 4/41 4/32 7/31 4/32 Catches/stumpings 43/– 86/– 174/– 140/–
Source: Cricinfo, 6 January 2022

Grant William Flower (born 20 December 1970) is a famous Zimbabwean cricket coach and former cricket player. He has worked as a batting coach for several teams. These include the Sri Lanka cricket team, Pakistan cricket team, and Sussex.

Many people consider him one of Zimbabwe's best cricketers ever. He was known for his consistent left-arm spin bowling and excellent batting. Grant was also very fit and a brilliant fielder, often playing in the gully position. He and his brother, Andy Flower, were a strong batting duo for Zimbabwe for ten years. They were even called "Flower Power." Grant was a top opening batsman, meaning he started the batting for his team.

He played a key role in one of Zimbabwe's greatest Test match wins against a strong Pakistan team. He seemed to play very well against Pakistan throughout his career. He scored over 40 runs on average against them. He also made three centuries, including an amazing 201 runs without being out. From 2014 to 2019, he was the batting coach for the Pakistan cricket team.

Grant Flower was also the first batsman to carry his bat in two different types of international cricket games. This means he was not out at the end of the innings in both One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test matches.

Grant Flower's Early Life in Cricket

Grant Flower was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He and his brother Andy went to North Park School. They were the best players in their age groups there. When he was younger, Grant bowled fast, and his bowling was even more famous than his batting. He later changed to spin bowling in high school. Grant is one of many talented cricketers from St George's College. Other famous players from this school include Sam Curran and Tom Curran from England. Colin de Grandhomme from New Zealand also attended.

In 1990–91, Grant became a professional cricketer. He started working for the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. His first big game was for Zimbabwe against England A. In his second match, he opened the batting and scored 50 runs. He and his brother Andy had many century partnerships together after that.

When he was just 19, Grant played in the 1990 ICC tournament. The team that won this tournament would get to play in the World Cup. Zimbabwe won, and Grant Flower scored many runs in the early games. If they had not won, Zimbabwe might not have become a Test cricket team so soon. Grant Flower could not play in the 1992 World Cup because he was injured.

Grant Flower's International Cricket Career

Playing for Zimbabwe in Test Matches

Flower batting for Essex against Cambridge UCCE, April 2005

After the World Cup, Zimbabwe became a Test cricket nation. Grant Flower was chosen to play in their first-ever Test match. This game was against the Indian team on October 18, 1992. He opened the batting and helped his team score 100 runs for the first wicket. He scored 82 runs but just missed getting a century in his first Test match. Later, when Zimbabwe played India in India, he again almost scored a century, getting 96 runs.

In 1995, Pakistan visited Zimbabwe. In the first Test, Flower finally scored his first Test century. He did even better, scoring a double century (200 runs). He hit only 12 boundaries and faced 523 balls. Zimbabwe declared their innings with a huge score of 4 wickets for 544 runs. His amazing batting helped Zimbabwe win their first Test match by an innings and 64 runs. He continued to play well against Pakistan, scoring his second Test century in Pakistan.

In 1997, Flower became the first Zimbabwean to score a century in both innings of a Test match. This happened when he played against New Zealand in Harare. He scored 104 runs and then 151 runs. A year later, he scored his fifth Test century, an unbeaten 156 runs against Pakistan. After this, he had a tough time scoring runs for a while. But on November 25, 2000, he ended his slump with a great 106 runs against India. He then scored four half-centuries in his next six innings.

Playing for Zimbabwe in One Day Internationals

Flower (on the right) with Essex teammate Will Jefferson.

By the end of his One Day International (ODI) career, Flower had taken more wickets than any other Zimbabwean bowler except Heath Streak. His ODI stats are even better than his Test stats. He scored six ODI centuries. He also got out in the 90s nine times, meaning he just missed many more centuries.

One of his most memorable centuries was in the final of a one-day tournament in Bangladesh. Playing against Kenya, he scored a century in just 82 balls. He finished with 140 runs, which was close to the national record at that time. He also holds the record for taking the most catches as a fielder for Zimbabwe in ODI history, with 86 catches.

Flower was also the first batsman to carry his bat through a completed ODI innings. This means he started batting and was still not out when his team's innings ended. He is also the only batsman in ODI history to carry his bat in a match that his team won.

Later Years in Cricket

In 2004, Grant Flower announced he was retiring from international cricket. This was mainly because of disagreements within the Zimbabwean Cricket Union. He then signed a contract with Essex in England. He played there alongside his brother Andy. Some Essex fans were unsure about him at first. However, after his first season, he was the top batter for Essex in List-A games in 2005. He was also third in the number of wickets taken.

Returning to the Zimbabwe Team

After another good season for Essex, which was his last county cricket season, Flower was surprisingly called back to the Zimbabwe team. This was for a tour of South Africa. He was expected to play and also work as the batting coach for the national team. He was also considered for the 2011 Cricket World Cup in India. He made his international return in October 2010. This was during the first ODI of a three-match series against South Africa.

Grant Flower's Coaching Career

Grant Flower became the batting coach for Zimbabwe in October 2010 and stayed in that role until 2013. In May 2014, he was appointed as the batting coach for the Pakistan cricket team. His contract ended in August 2019 after Pakistan's performance at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He played a big part in Pakistan winning the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Flower himself sees this as a major achievement. He was also the head coach for Rangpur Riders in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League.

In December 2019, he became the batting coach for Sri Lanka for two years. On July 8, 2021, he tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Sri Lanka from England. He was in a stable condition.

See also

In Spanish: Grant Flower para niños