Flower optimistic ahead of Ashes

The England coach has immediately turned his attentions to the first Ashes Test in Cardiff on July 8 following Monday's defeat by West Indies, which sealed their exit from the tournament.

Opener Ravi Bopara enhanced his growing reputation with a consistent tournament, and Flower said: "Ravi has been brilliant since he came back in the side and when we put him in at three in the Test matches he has been superb."

He added: "He's shown a lot of class and character and I really like him as a bloke and a player, but he is only at the formative stage of his career and there is a long way to go for him.

"I think he knows that and he has got his feet firmly on the floor which is a good place to be. He is going to need that balanced position to view the world from over the next few months."

Perhaps the most fierce competition in the build-up to the Ashes, however, is in the seam bowling department with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff poised to return while both Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions performed well in the early summer series win over West Indies.

"Our seamers are looking good at the moment and they're becoming quite a good unit," admitted Flower. "There are a few permutations we could have, we used Onions and Bresnan at the start of the season, but conditions will change as the summer wears on.

"Pitches will change and the conditions have to be taken into consideration. At the moment we haven't decided on the balance of our side just yet."

Flower will have a chance to assess all those candidates when England announce a large training squad next Monday to get together at the National Performance Centre in Loughborough next week and move on to Birmingham for the three-day match against Warwickshire starting on July 1.

That match will be used as match practice before the squad is cut down on Saturday, July 4 to around 13 names to move on to Cardiff and begin England's Ashes challenge.