Hussain backs Flower as England coach

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has backed Andy Flower to be the country's new coach, saying the Zimbabwean could be an excellent in the role he filled on a short-term basis in the West Indies.

"The biggest compliment I can pay him is that, if I was England captain now, I'd like him to be coach. He's discreet, honourable and tough," Hussain told the May edition of the Wisden Cricketer magazine.

"After all, as a Zimbabwean, he's taken on tougher people than a team of England cricketers.

"He has developed a working relationship with (captain Andrew) Strauss and with (head selector) Geoff Miller and I wouldn't want to undo that. They have started to get tough with the players.

"The only negatives are that he is associated with the Peter Moores era and that he has no previous coaching experience. But on balance there is no reason why he could not be an excellent England coach."

Following the sacking of Moores in January, former assistant coach Flower temporarily took charge of England in the West Indies, where they lost the Test series 1-0 but won the one-day series 3-2.

He is the hot favourite to get the job on a full-time basis and a decision is expected in the next few weeks ahead of the return home series with West Indies and subsequent Ashes series against Australia.

Flower appeared in 63 tests for Zimbabwe as a wicket-keeper batsman.