Andy's astonishing run ends

Andy Flower's omission from the Zimbabwe one-day team for the forthcoming triangular series featuring India, the West Indies and the home team ends one of cricket's most astonishing sequences.

Flower has played in 172 consecutive one-day internationals and 52 consecutive Tests -- every match that Zimbabwe has played since gaining Test status in 1992.

But the 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is to undergo an operation on his left thumb following ligament damage and will be ruled out for at least six weeks.

It means that he will also miss the two-Test series against the West Indies in July, which will end his run in the longer version of the game.

In Test match cricket he has scored 3,908 runs at an average of 51.42 with nine centuries and 24 fifties and in the shorter version of the game, Flower averages 33.54 with 5,267 runs, two centuries and 44 half centuries.

India's Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most consecutive one-day internationals, playing 185 between his debut in 1989 and injury in 1998.

Former South African captain Hansie Cronje is third on the 'iron man' list playing in 162 successive matches before his career ended in disgrace in March last year.

Mail Cricket Editor