Business of Sport day two: Charlton Athletic CEO Katrien Meire accuses fans of "abuse and criminal offences" against her – Telegraph.co.uk

England cricket players give bland interviews because Andy Flower took fright at David Warner’s attack on outspoken batsman Joe Root, said Graeme Swann.

Swann, the former England cricketer and Ashes winner, said  ex coach Flower, who stepped down in 2014 after five years, “got very frightened of his young stars being in the media spotlight.”

Root had been hit in a nightclub in 2013 by Australia player and Ashes rival David Warner – though the pair have since made up – and Swann said this resulted in Flower cracking down on self-expression in interviews.

Swann said: “All coaches and team captains are very paranoid about the wrong message being put out there.”

The former Nottinghamshire spinner said: “When you retire, it’s an incredible thing, because you think, ‘I can do whatever I want’ – and then you realise you’ve got nothing to say anymore!”

He conceded, however, that players can be “like children in many ways”, and might require some management.

He added : “Sportsmen aren’t the most intellectually superior… sometimes they do need to be treated like kids.”

This was borne out by Samsung’s Ben Blanco comments – who worked on the Rugby World Cup-themed advert in which Jack Whitehall flails in training with burly internationals –  that they worked with previous players like Martin Johnson because they were “freer” than current players.