Andy Flower threatens to quit if Kevin Pietersen is not axed from the team

Andy Flower (L) and Kevin Pietersen are at loggerheads again

Andy Flower, the England cricket team director, has threatened to quit his job if Kevin Pietersen is not axed from the team. The former Zimbabwean international is expected to continue with his job till the 2015 World Cup despite the 5-0 drubbing in the just concluded Ashes series in Australia.

At a point of time, when his position as the boss of England has become a point of debate, demands such as this – asking a star batsmen to be chucked out of the system with the team in dire straits – has been met with shock by the cricketing world.

Paul Downton, the new managing director of England cricket, and James Whitaker, the new national selector, are believed to have given their vote of confidence in Flower and Alastair Cook, the England captain, retaining their respective jobs. With Cook in favour of having Pietersen as a part of the set-up, this unexpected demand from Flower has left the captain and the selectors a lot to ponder with, according to the Guardian.

The differences between Flower and Pietersen, who is still seen a detriment to the development of the team by the Zimbabwean, date back to the summer of 2012 and after a lengthy struggle, Pietersen apologised for the inconveniences caused due to his text messages to South African cricketers and his rushed retirement in ODIs, only to be taken back into the team in all the formats.