'I'll stay on' declares England's Andy Flower despite Ashes whitewash

Flower has vowed to set about rebuilding England's battered reputation after Australia added the final humiliation to a depressing tour with a 281-run success in the fifth and final Test in Sydney yesterday.

England's abject displays have prompted questions about the futures of Flower, 45, and captain Alastair Cook.

But Flower ended speculation that he may step down as coach and team director in an at times prickly press conference today.

Asked if he will remain as team director Flower, who took over the role in 2009, said: "Yes."

Prompted for a slightly fuller response, he added: "You asked for a clear answer.

"I think 'yes' is a pretty clear answer."

Flower will now set about the task of reviving England's fortunes.

England rose to No.1 in the world Test rankings in August 2011 and completed their third consecutive Ashes series victory with a 3-0 triumph over Australia in 2013.

But despite arriving as favourites Down Under, they were heavily beaten in all five Tests in Australia and have now slipped to fourth in the rankings.

Asked if the performances of his team in Australia had made him angry, Flower said: "Yes and I'm glad Alastair is as well. I don't feel proud of what has happened in this Test series.

"It's important that we review this logically and look at the mistakes we have made.

"This does feel like the end of an era and a chance of some sort of renewal for the England cricket team.

"We've underperformed badly. If I'm honest, we could have seen it coming earlier. We haven't scored heavy runs – anything above 400 – for a very long time."

Flower feels it is wrong to single out captain Alastair Cook for personal criticism on a tour in which very little has gone right for the squad as a whole.

"No team is perfect and ours is no different," he said. "Team spirit always gets its closest examination under pressure and we've been under enormous amounts of pressure by a good side on their own turf."