The Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday parted ways with their head coach Andy Flower. Under his coaching, the Lucknow-based franchise made it to the playoffs in the last two seasons. LSG took to its official Twitter handle and thanked Flower for his services.
“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! ,” they wrote.
Before working with Lucknow, Flower plied his trade with Punjab Kings as an assistant coach for two seasons. Lucknow owner Sanjiv Goenka at that time said, “As a player and a Coach Andy has left an indelible mark in the history of cricket. We respect his professionalism and hope he will work with our vision and add value to our team.”
Andy Flower joined hands with Lucknow back in 2021 and helped them finish at 3rd spot in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Indian Premier League. The former Zimbabwe player has coached England and guided them to three back-to-back Ashes wins, including triumphs in 2009 and 2013 at home, and most impressively, Down Under in 2010-11.
He also worked as a consultant with the Australian team ahead of the World Test Championship final against India. As per the reports, former Australian cricketer Justin Langer is likely to become the new head coach of Lucknow Super Giants in the next season of IPL. Langer, who is currently busy with his commentary duties for the ongoing Ashes 2023 series, has been reached out by the LSG management, according to the report by Cricbuzz. However, an official announcement is yet to come by the Lucknow-based franchise.
As a coach, the ex-Australian player helped Kangaroos to their maiden World Cup T20 title in 2021 and was also part of his side's dominant 4-0 Ashes victory. Langer has also tasted success in Australia's elite domestic competition, the Big Bash League, clinching three titles with Perth Scorchers.