MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – England team director Andy Flower has backed Alastair Cook’s captaincy and will have talks with his new boss in Sydney this week about his own future in the wake of the tourists’ fourth straight loss in the Ashes series.
Flower, one of the principal architects of England’s brief rise to the pinnacle of test cricket in 2011, is contracted to the end of the Ashes which wraps up with the fifth and final match in Sydney.
Both Flower and Cook have faced calls to step down from their positions after England’s eight-wicket loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, which gave the hosts a 4-0 lead in the series.
“Paul Downton the new managing director has arrived in Australia and I’ll be meeting with him in Sydney,” Flower told reporters in Melbourne yesterday. “We’ll talk about the leadership of the national team with regards to the coaching position.
“I’m very motivated to contribute to English cricket and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Former England wicketkeeper Downton was appointed in October to take over from the outgoing Hugh Morris in February but is making a special trip Down Under to cast his eye over the team.
