Flower expects 'great things' from Pietersen

England's coach, Andy Flower, says that he expects "great things" from Kevin Pietersen on the forthcoming Ashes tour, despite a prolonged slump in form that Pietersen was unable to arrest during his brief stint with the Natal Dolphins in South Africa earlier this month, in which he made scores of 36 and 0 in his two first-class outings.

England depart for Australia on Friday with their star batsman still searching for his first first-class hundred since the tour of West Indies in March 2009, while at the same time facing new questions about his team ethos following comments from the former Australia coach and recent ECB consultant, John Buchanan. However, Flower insisted that Pietersen's credentials and commitment were not being called into question by anyone within the England set-up, and backed him to be a major factor in the biggest event in the English Test calendar.

"I expect great things from Kevin on this tour," Flower told reporters at Lord's "He's a fine player and he's very motivated to do well for England. He wants to make a big contribution and this is a great stage to do it. He's an exceptional player - he's very talented, and very special actually - and I just expect great things from him."

Pietersen was one of England's few outstanding performers during the ill-fated 2006-07 series in Australia, in which he scored 490 runs at 54.44 in the course of the 5-0 whitewash, including 398 at 79.60 in the first three matches when the Ashes were still at stake. However, his apparent reluctance to move up from his then-preferred No. 5 position attracted the attention of the then-Australia coach Buchanan, who reopened old wounds in the November edition of the Wisden Cricketer when he stated that Pietersen had a tendency to be "individualist and fragmentary".

With four days to go until England's departure, Pietersen is currently in Mumbai filming an advert for a soft drinks company, which Flower conceded was not normal preparation for such a high-profile tour. However, he dismissed any suggestion that such behaviour alienated Pietersen from the wider team ethic. "He's an integral part of our side, and a very healthy part of our side," he said. "He's an exceptional cricketer, but also he is a role model in the way that he trains and goes about his business, and we don't expect any different [on this tour]. We are all quite comfortable with Kevin's role in the side, both as a player and a team member. It's as simple as that."

Nevertheless, Pietersen's family life has been a clear priority since the birth of his son Dylan in May, and the man himself stated in a recent interview that, at the age of 30, he had "probably got to the top of the fence and [was] on the way down now". Flower, however, dismissed any suggestion that his best was now behind him, and cited Pietersen's decision to head to South Africa - albeit with his family in tow - as evidence of his enduring ambition.

"It was his decision and it was a brave one because he wasn't sure what he'd face out there," said Flower. "He could easily have taken the month off after a hectic 18 months, but he didn't. He wanted to go out and score runs, and be as ready as he can, and I think he feels confident after some of the work he's done out there. He's hit a lot of balls, he's practised hard and worked with a guy in Graham Ford [Dolphins coach] who he's got a lot of respect for and who I've got a lot of respect for. If he'd wanted to go on holiday in South Africa, he'd have gone on holiday."

However, there will be no doubts about the intensity of Pietersen and England's preparation when the squad arrives in Perth later this week. With three first-class warm-up matches leading into the first Test at Brisbane on November 25, every member of the squad will be obliged to keep their focus squarely on the task in hand, with the players' families not due to arrive in Australia until after the second Test in early December. While opinions have long differed over the value of wives, girlfriends and children on tour, Flower stated that it was important that the squad bonded without distraction in the crucial early weeks of the series.

"Cricket is a strange profession in that you spend so long away on tours, so to keep a fairly healthy family environment the ECB pay for families to come out and join their players," he said. "The available time is five weeks, but they will not be allowed for a period at the beginning and at the end, because I think it's important we get together as a group, and focus fully on the game[s]. In such a big party you're going to get differing opinions, but I think once the intent of the decision had been explained to the players, they respected that."

While the worries persist about Pietersen's form and focus, his struggles with the bat in 2009 were mitigated by the conditions that all the players faced in a bowler-dominated summer. Armed with a batch of cherry-red Duke balls which exacerbated their natural movement off the seam and through the air, Pakistan's outstanding (and controversial) new-ball pairing of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir cut swathes through their opponents - English and Australian alike - and might have delivered more than just two wins out of six Tests had it not been for the weaknesses of their own batsmen.

Things will be different in Australia - and they will have to be, admitted Flower - if England are to have any hope of securing their first Ashes victory Down Under since 1986-87. "This summer was extraordinary, and I don't think we can ignore that," he said. "The swinging, and sometimes swinging and seaming, conditions were very difficult to bat in, so I don't think we should worry too much on that front. But getting heavy runs is going to be an absolute key. We know the pitches will be good and the climate is conducive to batting, and big runs to give your bowlers something to bowl at will be vital for us. Our top six or seven have a huge responsibility to set up the game."

In general terms, however, Flower is determined to approach the series with a calm resolve; confident in his team's status as Ashes holders, and mindful of the need not to overstate the challenge that lies ahead. "I'd hesitate to call it [the toughest tour]," he said. "They've got a very good record in Australia and they are a very fine side, so we do respect them, but we also feel that we can beat them. Our side is confident about its own abilities and its strength as a unit, and we believe we can beat them.

"I don't think there's anything to be afraid of in Australia," he added. "We understand that there are certain pressures involved in playing international cricket, but equally, one of the best things about playing professional sport is travelling the world and experiencing other countries. And this is one of the best places to go. The players should be looking forward to enjoying it, and that means enjoying the challenges that you face on the field, and also enjoying seeing another country, another culture, and meeting new people. It's a great country and it should be a lot of fun."