Grant Flower rules out quick Zimbabwe return

Grant Flower insists that he is not interested in returning to play for Zimbabwe, despite the imminent return of his fellow rebels Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut to the international arena.

Flower, 34 - Zimbabwe's most-capped player with 67 Test appearances - told Sky Sports that he is content to honour his two-year contract with Essex, where he will play as a Kolpak player alongside his elder brother Andy. Streak, meanwhile, is likely to be drafted into Zimbabwe's current tour of South Africa in time for the Test series. It has been confirmed that Ray Price won't return for Zimbabwe, either.

"I won't be playing for Zimbabwe in the next few years, then after that anything's possible," Flower said. "I've committed myself to Essex, and I won't change my mind. I'm on the Kolpak scheme: I will be with Essex."

Flower, who was a leading figure in the early stages of the Zimbabwean players' dispute with their board, appeared to have been kept out of the loop as to the latest developments. When asked what light he could shed on the end of the dispute, he was vague: "When I left Zimbabwe two weeks ago nothing had been resolved. Nobody was going to play in South Africa, but things have changed."

When asked if Streak's announcement had come as a shock, Flower replied: "Yes, to a certain extent, or at least to one or two of the guys. When I left the country nobody was making themselves available to play against South Africa."