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KP and Swann are still friends, insists Flower

Graeme Swann`s criticism of Kevin Pietersen in his autobiography has not affected their friendship, insisted England cricket coach Andy Flower.

London: Graeme Swann`s criticism of Kevin Pietersen in his autobiography has not affected their friendship, insisted England cricket coach Andy Flower but conceded that he would have wanted the off-spinner to wait till retirement before writing such a book.
In his autobiography, Swann had criticised Pietersen`s captaincy stint, saying that he was a bad choice to lead England in 2008 and 2009. Flower praised Pietersen for his "mature handling" of the situation and hoped that such tell-all books are kept for after the retirement. Asked whether he believes players should wait until retiring to air such revelations in print, he said: "That`s my personal opinion, yes." "I personally don`t think that it`s a good idea for current players to be talking about their fellow players," Flower was quoted as saying by a daily. "The written word does come across very, very differently - when you can`t judge a person`s tone - and particularly with Swann`s words, that is an accurate and important point." Flower insisted that England`s team spirit was intact despite the controversy. "It`s all been handled in-house - without many problems. Pietersen and Swann get on well, and I think Pietersen has handled it very maturely," he said. England, touring India right now, are down 0-1 in a five-match ODI series. PTI