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The Ashes: Andy Flower staying on as England coach, Kevin Pietersen's position in Test team in doubt



England's Ashes nightmare is not yet over, with coach Andy Flower admitting on Monday that more pain is still to come.

The bloodletting looks set to capture some big names, with controversial batsman Kevin Pietersen on the chopping block after a poor series as England was swept 5-0 in emphatic fashion.

But despite the devastating fashion in which England handed back the Ashes, Flower said he would not be standing down - and nor should under-fire skipper Alastair Cook.

Pietersen was subject to retirement rumours during the Sydney Test, in which he had scores of 3 and 6.

But the decision might be taken out of his hands with Flower declaring he was prepared to make tough decisions following the SCG loss, while admitting this summer was the end of an era.

Pietersen was England's top run-scorer in the series but only averaged 29.4. (AAP: Dave Hunt)
Asked directly whether Pietersen would be part of the future, Flower said: "This will be a new start, and so it should be.

"It does feel like the end of some type of era.

"We might have to take a little more pain before we have sustained success again.

"And we might have to ask for a little patience in that regard over the coming months."

Flower would not discuss exactly who would feel the pain, but the crosshairs will almost certainly land on 33-year-old Pietersen and 31-year-old wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

England has five months before hosting Sri Lanka for a two-Test series, by which time a full review into the Australian debacle will have been completed.

One thing is certain - Flower has no intention of walking away from his post, and he believes Cook is the right man to lead England out of its funk.

"I'm not going to discuss individuals, but looking at it a little more holistically, I think it will be the start of something new," Flower said.

"I think Alastair Cook as captain can lead that renewal and rebuilding (of) the England cricket side.

"We're not proud of (the Sydney Test). And we're not proud of the Test series result, of course.

"It's quite a bitter pill to swallow. But that's what it is and we have to face up to that reality.

"(Australia) have been aggressive and disciplined and completely outplayed us."

England adds Woakes to ODI squad

England has added Sydney Thunder all-rounder Chris Woakes to its squad for the upcoming one-day series against Australia.

The tourists will get a welcome influx of new faces as they try to move on from the whitewash with an improved showing in the shorter formats.

Woakes - the 24-year-old medium-pacer who made his Test debut in the final match of the Ashes series last year - will now be among them.

Woakes, who has played two Twenty20 games for the hapless Thunder this Big Bash League season, will join the team in Melbourne.

The five-match one-day series starts with Sunday's clash at the MCG.

Stars Pietersen and James Anderson are among those Test players not taking part in the limited-overs series which includes three Twenty20 internationals in addition to the five ODIs.

AAP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-06/andy-flower-remains-coach-kevin-pietersen-future-uncertain/5186314