Andy Flower heaps praise on Tendulkar, Harbhajan

Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman Andy Flower may have been giving Sachin Tendulkars and Mark Waughs tough competition with his consistent prolific scores but when it comes to earnings, the most successful Zimbabwe cricketer is miles behind.

Flower, considered to be the best batsman against spin, says Zimbabwe cricketers are highly underpaid and advocates a minimum standardised pay for all Test players to be laid down by the International Cricket Council.

"I think we have been underpaid. There should be a minimum of fixed pay for Test cricketers," Flower told PTI in an interview. "(But) I have to give it more thought to put an actual figure on it.

"We have to compete with other teams on an equal basis. Our public and our Board expects us to win or to compete but then we get paid a pittance. I don't think that's right," he said but did not grudge the amounts earned by Tendulkar or other cricketers. "Sachin deserves what he earns. He is a huge star anywhere in the world."

Flower said he was "naive" to match-fixing activities but admitted to having noticed "funny instances" during the match on a few occasions. "There have been a few instances where I have said 'there is something funny going on and they are not playing the way they should be playing'. But those have been very few and far between."

Flower felt the increase in the number of one-day internationals had contributed to the match-fixing activities and favoured a reduction in limited-overs games. "There are too many one-dayers played for the purity of the game to remain intact. We had a one-day tournament in February and nobody remembers what happened in that tourney. I think that should be the reason why we should cut down on the number of onedayers," he said.

Flower agreed with Anil Kumble's comment that he remembered most of his wickets and how he got them in Tests but had difficulty in recounting his dismissals in one-dayers. "I agree with him about the difference and importance of two forms of cricket. The Tests are just everything to me."

The former Zimbabwe captain admitted to being tempted by offers to play for other countries because of financial reasons. "I have been tempted a number of times. I was born in South Africa and around 1992-93 I thought about going to play in South Africa but then we got the Test status and I stayed back. I have had a couple of county cricket offers as well but because of my contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, I couldn't take up those offers," he said, adding the next time such an offer comes he would ask the ZCU to increase his fees to compensate.

Describing Tendulkar as a "very special player", Flower said it was a treat to watch the batting of the Indian maestro from behind the stumps. "He has been superb to watch from behind. His balance, timing, eye position and technique doesn't seemed to have changed much (over the years) at all. Its all been very simple. Or let us say he has made it look very simple. That is one of his great strengths that he has got a very simple technique," he said, though he did feel that like any other batsman Tendulkar, who likes to go for his shots, too was slightly vulnerable against an outswinger.

Flower had a lot of praise for Harbhajan Singh too, saying the offspinner was a "top quality bowler". "He is not your standard offspinner. He has a lot of variations and tends to mix up his deliveries all the time. He keeps you thinking. You can't line him up, so to speak."

Flower, who has close to a thousand runs in just six Test matches against India, described playing in India as "an amazing feeling" and said he loved playing in the country. "My style of play is more suited against spin. Plus, the wickets in India are very good for batting. And the outfield is quick. I love playing in India. The whole atmosphere of touring India and playing cricket in India is an amazing feeling."

Flower, whose main goal of seeing his country win a Test was achieved when Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan in 1997-98, said the peak of his career was the tour of India last year where he averaged 270 in the two Tests with his highest score being an unbeaten 232 out of a tally of 540 runs. "But I don't want to leave it at that. I am still very hungry," he declared.