England coach Duncan Fletcher Photo © CricInfo

There was a time when the expression on the face of the England cricket coach was as accurate a pointer of what was unfolding on the field of play as the scoreboard.

Then last year, Duncan Fletcher was appointed to the job and with a wise and worldly head came a face that revealed next to nothing, irrespective of the exhibition before him.

Even if England win the Wisden Trophy, on top of the NatWest and Zimbabwe Test series this summer, the chances of seeing him in animated rapture are nil.

For while the results will tell a tale of progress, Fletcher will not be happy until Nasser Hussain and his squad can produce the sort of consistent quality cricket that is essential to achieve series victories over the best in the world.

"The time that will give me real pleasure is when England are recognised as a top side and one that can compete with Australia and South Africa on a regular basis. Then I will be happy," said the 51 year-old Zimbabwean who is approaching the end of his first year as England’s coach.

Under his instruction, there are signs that England are making progress. A greater consistency in selection has been achieved together with a much stronger team spirit and on the evidence of results this summer, there is a sense that the muddled days of old may, possibly, be over.

"I have tried to give the players more responsibility both on and off the field because responsibility requires them to really think about where they are going and how to play the game," he says.

"We set up this new structure where The Management team within the team discuss how a game should be played and how the team should perform – and that extends to off the field activities too. You could tell with certain individuals in South Africa that they really enjoyed being part of a team that were making decisions and I think it made everyone take more responsibility for their own games.

"Our South Africa tour was not successful results wise but if you look at how inexperienced that side was, we made a lot of progress.

"Our fielding improved and our bowlers came on a lot especially Andrew Caddick. The only real area of concern was the batting – there were not enough batters getting consistently high scores and it was a shame that the younger guys did not make bigger contributions but that all comes with experience.

"Michael Vaughan did well. He has to get more big scores but he grew in stature with his mannerisms and character. Andrew Flintoff showed us that he has got something and could develop into a top class player. He needs to learn what he can and can’t do at that level. He’s a bit confused as far as that is concerned at the moment but once he eliminates that confusion, he will be a very good player.

"What was also good was the way we came back after a bad knock to put in some strong performances. The team spirit was good – there was a lot of support for each other and that proved pretty crucial."

Fletcher says he has no idea why the spirit was so strong and has little interest in finding out.

"Its not something I’ve ever figured out and I’m not about to start. I just know that every team I have ever worked with has had a good spirit.

"I think it comes down to realising when it is time to work and when it is time to have fun and relax. I also try and treat everyone equally with the same importance and respect. I think it makes the players more confident with you and each other.

"I will not stand in the nets and shout criticism. No one likes to be criticised in public so I prefer to go down and chat to them quietly because then they are more likely to listen and respond to you in a positive way. One of the most difficult things is appreciating that everyone is different. Different people need different treatment. That is sometimes quite hard work because it is always playing on your mind how the different players might react. Now I have pictures in my mind of all the players, in terms of both character and technique so can tell whether things are not quite right at any time."

"So far we have had a good summer. But there is no quick fix in cricket. We will go up and down but as long as we can go two steps forward and maybe at times one step back, we’ll be making progress and that is what is happening."

It is well-known that Fletcher and his captain Hussain shared common ground from the minute they met and one year on, the relationship remains robust and productive. Despite being complete opposites, they are travelling at the same pace down the same road.

"I have enjoyed my relationship with Nasser from the word go," he says.

"I like the way he approaches things. When we got to South Africa we saw eye-to-eye on many things. Whether that was just luck or what I don’t know but it was good.

"We identified the areas of strength and weakness straight away and seemed to have the same ideas so hit it off. We do disagree but he is the guy who has to lead the troops out of the trenches and has to be satisfied with what he has got. We sit and discuss things and make sure we see the advantages and disadvantages of decisions that are made. I think we work pretty well together.

"He is having a lean time with the bat. We have had a few discussions about it but he needs to be positive and believe in his ability. It is a sign of strength that he wants to stay batting at three and be successful there. Everyone goes though bad times but he will come right."

With such a heavy workload as England captain, a drop in Hussain’s form may have been inevitable but Fletcher is happy that the new central contracts system, introduced at the start of the summer, has allowed him to give his England players a break when they needed resting. What has surprised him however, is the criticism he has attracted for insisting they get that rest.

"I'm quite comfortable with the way central contracts are working. What people don’t understand is that players need rest. Are they saying that if we were away on a four and a half month tour, the top XI players should play every single game? Of course not. They would say they needed a rest.

"We played only five Tests and a few one-day games in four months in South Africa. Here in four months, we are playing seven Tests and a certain amount of one-day games and people then expect the players to play every county game between.

"If we played the likes of Caddick and Gough in every single match on a tour, we would be criticised for not giving them a rest. But at the moment, we are being criticised for resting them in a schedule, which is even busier than last winter.

"To my mind this summer is exactly like a tour so I don’t really understand the criticism. I am here to make England good and the counties will benefit from England doing well," he says, without so much as a smirk.

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