Flower unsure over long-term England job

	Andy Flower: 'A coach is necessary, but the debate over the exact structure is an interesting one' © Getty Images

Andy Flower, England's interim coach, doesn't yet know whether he wants to succeed Peter Moores in a full-time capacity, but believes it is important that the team does have a leading figure in charge behind the scenes.

Flower arrived in St Kitts on Wednesday as the senior coach for the tour of West Indies after the sacking of Moores earlier this month. However, he retains his title of assistant coach and wants to see how the next few months pan out before making any long-term plans.

"I want to play it by ear and see how the next month goes," he said. "In the short term it's better to keep my contract as it is. I will be taking on some of the responsibilities that the lead coach would have."

With the departure of Moores the debate has opened up as to whether the team needs a head coach, especially given the number of backroom staff that now travel with the team. Although Moores has gone, Ottis Gibson remains as bowling coach, Richard Halsall as fielding coach and Mushtaq Ahmed has come onboard in a spin capacity.

"A coach is necessary, but the debate over the exact structure is an interesting one," said Flower, who was part of a seminar in Leicestershire earlier this week which discussed the topic with a panel of former captains. "I think as long as you get the right people there are various structures that might work. The most important thing is getting the right people in."

Flower said he is looking forward to working alongside Andrew Strauss in the Caribbean and the pair exchanged "numerous" phonecalls in the two weeks before the tour. Strauss said he wants to give the players more responsibility for their own requirements and while Flower is happy to support that view he still believes some players need more guidance than others.

"It is always a balance as coaches between what a player wants and needs," he said. "The players will acknowledge that and it shifts a little with more senior players and the younger ones. You are always trying to make that judgment. Strauss wants coaches to play a more supportive role and I'm quite happy to support that role."

Flower doesn't foresee any problems working with Kevin Pietersen during the trip, even though he was on Pietersen's hit list of people he wanted to move out of the England set-up.

"That's the way I understand it," Flower said. "I've had a chat with Kevin, he did want a regime change but I haven't gone into any specifics with him. We have always had a good relationship, I'm not sure if it's the southern African thing, and I don't see us having any problems. It's been very open

"We all have our differences, you aren't always going to be buddy-buddy. You don't always have to get on perfectly and it's healthy to have debate. With this guy [Pietersen], he's a world-class performer so it's not some much telling them what to do but discussing options and it's the players' right to take it or not."

One player Flower has certainly had a positive impact on is Strauss and the time the pair have spent together came to light during Strauss's twin hundreds in Chennai when he played the Indian spinners superbly. Though Flower is renowned as one of the greatest players of spin of all time, he was modest about his own impact.

"Equally I've worked with other players and they didn't have a good trip," he said. "We as coaches do our work and discuss cricket with them [the players] a lot, but ultimately it is down to them." Strauss will be more than happy to hear that mantra from Flower. They both appear to be on the same wavelength and what England need right now is a captain and coach who can work together.