Andy Flower denies that he wants Kevin Pietersen to be dropped

Andy Flower, the England team director, has quashed reports emerging from the United Kingdom yesterday that he was going to quit unless he was given an assurance by the England & Wales Cricket Board(ECB) that Kevin Pietersen will not be playing for England under him.

The Zimbabwean issued a statement in Sydney on Wednesday stating that the reports of him giving an ‘ultimatum’ to the ECB regarding the non-inclusion of Pietersen were ‘inaccurate’.

“Following speculation in the media today I feel it necessary to reiterate much of what I said in my recent press conference,” Flower said. “It would be sensible and responsible to review the tour in a calm and logical manner before assessing our options for the future and planning ahead.

“I repeat that neither I nor the wider ECB leadership group have made any decisions as to the future involvement of any individuals in the playing group or in the support staff. The reports that I have issued an ultimatum of some description to the ECB are totally inaccurate.” he added.

Pietersen however has made it clear that he wants to help England regain the Ashes in 2015 by tweeting the same. He has also reiterated his desire to score 10,000 runs for England. It is strange that Pietersen, who was England’s top scorer in the Ashes with 294 runs at an average of 29.40, should be the one whose future is in jeopardy considering England already seem to have lost a senior batsman in Jonathan Trott. If Pietersen gets axed, that will leave Alastair Cook & Ian Bell as the only experienced batsmen in the side.

Flower, however, seems insistent that Pietersen is a harmful influence on the dressing room & that England will be better off building a new team without the maverick batsman. Flower & Pietersen have had a strained relationship ever since 2012 when Pietersen wanted to skip national duty to play in the IPL. And despite Pietersen claiming in the recent past that he remains committed to the English cause till 2015 atleast, Flower does not seem convinced.

Paul Downton, the new managing director of the ECB, is believed to be conducting an internal review of the team’s disastrous Ashes performance by speaking to each and every player and members of the coaching staff. Downton’s report will decide the fate of the players & the management but it looks increasingly likely as of now that only one of Kevin Pietersen or Andy Flower will be around the English camp for England’s next test series against Sri Lanka in May.