Cape Town (South Africa), Apr. 16 : Former Australian leg spinner and captain of the IPL franchisee Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has praised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for selecting former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as the England cricket team director.

"England have taken a step in the right direction by appointing Andy Flower, and I think the new job title as team director is the right one," Warne wrote in The Times newspaper.

"At international level, the ''coach'' shouldn''t be coaching - players don''t need to hear about high left elbows and all that rubbish. Basically, you want a good communicator who creates an environment where players feel comfortable and can play their own way knowing they will get support," Fox News quoted Warne, as saying.

Flower became the permanent successor on Wednesday to Peter Moores, who was sacked in January.

"I think he will be a big calming influence in the dressing-room," Warne wrote of the former Zimbabwe captain.

"He is one of those people who will be hard, but very fair. And being quite young, an Essex player until recently, means he is in tune with the modern game. He has all the qualities for the role," said Warne. (ANI)