England coach Andy Flower on Monday praised his ‘resilient’ side after their thrilling 14-run win over Australia in the first Test at Trent Bridge. Victory put the Ashes-holders 1-0 up in the five-match series with a quick turnaround before the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday.
But Flower, not one to buy in to suggestions of a 5-0 England sweep or even 10-0 come the end of back-to-back Ashes in Australia in January, forecast the tourists would be just as tough to beat at ‘the home of cricket’ as they were in Nottingham. ‘We never for a moment thought that this match or the series would be a walkover,’ said Flower. ‘I know we hear the odd thing in the media predicting some funny results but we always knew this would be a tough battle. ‘This is a really good example and I’m sure it will be a tough fight for the remainder of the series.’
‘It will have taken something out of all the players involved,’ said Flower of what he said was a ‘sensational game’. ‘But that’s why our guys work so hard on their fitness and they are mentally resilient to show that.’