Andy Flower has stressed that England must work on their limitations against spin bowlers after their latest collapse against India.
Lessons to be learnt from ODI failure
England plumbed new depths in their one-day international whitewash in India - but Andy Flower is hoping the exposure of evident limitations can kickstart necessary self-improvement.
The England coach likened Tuesday night's hapless collapse, almost entirely to spin, of all 10 wickets for 47 runs at Eden Gardens, to an early low point in his tenure back in February 2009.
Flower was still only interim coach, and in his first match in charge too, when England were skittled for 51 at Sabina Park, Jamaica, to lose by an innings on the way to a 1-0 Test series defeat in the West Indies.
The team were still reeling from the new year fall-out from Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores' acrimonious differences of opinion and subsequent loss of their respective positions as captain and coach.
With a more settled structure now, Flower looked back on this month's series and said: "We have to change the traditional limitations against spin and certainly by the time we come out here in 14 months' time to play another limited-overs series we have to look at it very differently."
Flower's reign could hardly have started more inauspiciously with the Sabina Park debacle; yet within six months England had won the Ashes and begun an upward graph which would see them clinch the urn down under for the first time in almost a quarter-of-a-century and become the world's top Test team.
They also prevailed in an International Cricket Council event for the first time, on their return to the Caribbean for the 2010 World Twenty20.
Inconsistent
Sadly, there has been no such period of consistent ODI achievement.
Even so, it has been a shock to the system that Alastair Cook's young team have failed so miserably in India to consolidate last month's NatWest Series home superiority against the same opponents.
Flower, however, is hoping this chastening reality check may bring with it the 'Jamaica effect'.
He said: "If we can use this as a catalyst for that sort of change then some good can come of it.
"I was unfortunately reflecting last night on a similar feeling after being 51 all out in Jamaica two-and-a-half years ago.
"If we can use it to start something better in our subcontinent limited-overs batting then some good can come of this."
In the much shorter term - and with Cook already on his way home, deemed surplus to Twenty20 requirements - England must raise their game under Graeme Swann's captaincy for Saturday's one-off match against India, again in Kolkata, in the shortest format.
They were named the ICC's first Twenty20 number ones just three days ago, and Flower does not anticipate - will not tolerate, in fact - any difficulty in England readying themselves for one last push to salvage some pride here.
"I don't think that is a challenge," Flower said.
"We're representing England, and you can't win all the time.
"We want strong people in our squad. If anyone is going to be cowed by a few defeats then this is not the place for them."
