“Vision, drive and ambition” were the three main reasons given by Hugh Morris, the managing director of English cricket, for why Andy Flower has been asked to be the man to guide England into the World Twenty20, the Ashes and beyond.

The batting ability that led to him being ranked as the world No 1 in 2001 also counted in his favour. “Andy was a world-class cricketer,” Morris said at Lord's yesterday. “We have every belief he is capable of becoming a world-class coach. I believe he has the ability to take England back to where we want them to be.”

A global recruitment search for the next England team director - a head coach in anything other than ECB jargonspeak - ended with Flower, the man who held the post on an interim basis, being given it full time.

Flower departed on the England tour to the Caribbean in January professing his uncertainty about whether he wanted the job. He had been appointed as a batting coach under Peter Moores in May 2007 and was given temporary command after Moores was dismissed.

He admitted yesterday that he decided to apply for the job only halfway through the tour. A headhunting firm was paid a flat fee, believed to be in the region of £10,000, to draw up a list of candidates but although 30 applied, the ECB was happy that the right man was in the dressing-room all along.

Morris would not say how many applicants were interviewed, but it is not believed to be many. Flower, who will earn about £250,000 a year, has the rapport with the players that the ECB feels matters most.

Flower, 40, is significantly younger than his three predecessors (Moores, Duncan Fletcher and David Lloyd) and has played with or against most of the players in contention for selection this summer. His first task will be to pick a Test squad to play West Indies, which will be announced on Sunday or Monday. A new Twenty20 captain must be found and a reduced 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 announced on May 1.

“This is a huge summer of cricket,” Flower said. “It is not going to be easy but the exciting thing is the challenge that presents. I want an ethos of constant improvement. I want us to be physically and mentally tough.”

Asked whether Flower would be dismissed if England do not regain the Ashes, Morris said that the appointment was long term, adding: “We've had enough instability this winter.”

Feats of a high-flyer

— Born April 28, 1968, Cape Town.

— Scored 4,794 runs in 63 Tests, for Zimbabwe from 1992-2002, at an average of 51.54. Became the world’s No 1 batsman in July 2001.

— Led a protest with Henry Olonga against the “death of democracy” in Zimbabwe during the 2003 World Cup.

— Scored 6,215 first-class runs for Essex between 2002 and 2006.

— Made England assistant coach in May 2007. Appointed interim team coach after departure of Peter Moores this year. Now has the job full time.