Ashes 2013: Andy Flower hails England captain Alastair Cook

Andy Flower has heaped praise on Alastair Cook for his handling of the England captaincy after the hosts secured a 3-0 Ashes series win at The Oval.

The 28-year-old’s side were on the brink of a possible surprise fifth Test win before the umpires brought England and Australia off due to bad light with the hosts needing 21 runs from 24 balls.

Having been part of Ashes winning sides in 2009 and 2011 under Andrew Strauss’ leadership, team director Flower is impressed with Cook’s composure since taking over the role.

“He’s handled the pressure very well ever since he took on the captaincy,” Flower told the ECB’s website.

“Since he first took over the limited-overs sides and (when) he also stepped in for Strauss on a short test tour in Bangladesh – when he got a first taste of Test captaincy – he’s done an outstanding job.

“He is incredibly proud to be among the England captains to have led their side to an Ashes victory.”

Flower also praised his England squad for their performances throughout the five Test series.

“(It was a) tense chase (and a) great game of cricket actually. (It was) really nice to have a bit of tension in the game,” he added.

“It could have been a boring, dead rubber game but (there is) a lot of satisfaction and pride taken in the way the guys have handled themselves through the series.

“They’ve won at crucial moments, they’ve been well led by Alastair Cook and shown a lot of skill and resilience.”