Six months ago, Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores were in charge and neither Strauss nor Flower was dreaming of power, let alone world domination, which will be demanded if they somehow manage to win the Ashes. Yet here they are, two hardy souls raised under a Southern African sun, daring England’s players to raise their game through a diet of hard work and tough love.

"I want an ethos of constant improvement within the side," Flower said at his unveiling at Lord’s. "I want our players to be constantly moving forward and challenging themselves and I want us to be physically and mentally strong. These are some of the principles that we’ll build this team on."

"Captains and coaches don’t always have to agree or get on perfectly," said Flower. "In fact, it’s healthy if there is always healthy debate between the two of you and the rest of the management team and squad. I respect Andrew. I think he’s a very good cricketer and a very good captain."

One worry about Flower’s partnership with Strauss is that while they would have made a wonderfully contrasting pair as batsmen, they are perhaps too similar as thinkers. Mind you, having too much integrity could be a nice problem for England to have.

As you would expect from a man just handed an extra megawatt of power in his job, Flower refused to reveal any strategic plans, insisting that he had only just got the job. Yet, as Moores’s assistant for 20 months, and as interim coach on the tour to the West Indies, he has been involved long enough to know what he wants to change. Chief among them are the "Player plcs" and the complacency caused by central contracts.

The concept of the Player plc, which has but one shareholder, is not new. When he was England coach, Keith Fletcher was critical of Robin Smith for concentrating more on his business interests off the field than those on it. Most players are at it now and while few will blame them for maximising their profits in what is after all a relatively short career, it is easy to forget where the priorities lie.

Changing that and dismantling the system of central contracts will not make Flower popular, but when you have defied Robert Mugabe and his henchmen by wearing black armbands to signify the death of democracy in Zimbabwe, you are obviously not easily swayed from your convictions.

England’s new team director also possesses resolve and determination, which was illustrated when he quit county cricket with Essex in 2007 to become a coach, foregoing a benefit worth at least £300,000. Success from one platform to the next is never guaranteed, but with Flower you sense it has a better than even chance.

According to Morris, there were 30 applicants for the England team director’s job although he would not reveal how many made it to the final interview in front of the four-man panel chaired by him. He is confident that England have chosen the right man.

Flower’s appointment has not been universally approved. Duncan Fletcher said that he had been handed the job before proving himself under true pressure, though that is something that this summer with its Ashes series and World Twenty20 tournament will surely bring.

The Ashes can cure all ills or cause much malady. In the past losing has proved the downfall of many a coach or captain, though Flower has been told he is immune from such a fate this summer. But win them, and the World Twenty20, and Sir Andy might not be as ludicrous as it sounds.