Fletcher waits to become a Brit

Duncan Fletcher, the African-born coach who has helped revive England, is ready to renounce his Zimbabwean citizenship and become British.

The move should silence any lingering doubts about Fletcher's commitment to the game in this country.

The appointment of a 'foreigner' did not cause as big an outcry as soccer's choice of Sven Goran Eriksson, but it was not universally welcomed.

Many felt that Fletcher, a quiet, undemonstrative man by nature, would not be able to instil the pride or the passion long missing from a dejected Test team. The series victories against Zimbabwe and the West Indies last summer and in Pakistan last week ended those worries. After the win in Karachi, skipper Nasser Hussain and most of the players acknowledged how much influence Fletcher had had on the resurgence.

As usual, Fletcher said little, but he has clearly seen enough ability and strength of character within the squad to believe that he could have a long-term future in what has always been a notoriously short-term job.

Since he took over from David Lloyd, Fletcher, 52, has travelled the cricketing world on a Zimbabwean passport. His application for its British equivalent has been held up by Home Office regulations and pleas from the England Cricket Board have been met with the dead-bat response that nobody can short-circuit the system.