LONDON: England coach Andy Flower insisted the team would not get ahead of themselves after their Ashes series win over Australia.

Former Zimbabwe batsman Flower was thrust into a position of prominence in January following the fall-out from the row which cost Peter Moores his position as England coach and Kevin Pietersen his post as England captain.

But together with new captain Andrew Strauss he helped the team get back on track despite blows such as being bowled out for 51 by the West Indies in Jamaica in February.

"We knew it would be hard but when I took the job I was thinking about very small chunks of time. Consolidating things in the West Indies was the first thing we had to do," Flower explained at England's hotel here Monday.

Asked what being a coach meant, Flower replied: "One of the things we have to do is to get the players to build good habits. Habits of thinking, playing and training and they can take those habits onto the field and they'll serve them well. It's the coaching team's job to build those habits."

But he insisted England owed much of their recent success to the influence of opening batsman Strauss.

"It helps a lot having a leader like Strauss around," Flower said. "He has been a rock around which the team has built innings and also he has shown very strong leadership on and off the field."

Strauss certainly showed his resilience when England were threatening to collapse in their second innings before winning the fifth and final Test by 197 runs at the Oval here on Sunday to take the Ashes 2-1.

However, the Ashes success still left England fifth in the world rankings ahead of their series away to top-ranked South Africa later this year.

"You don't want to go overboard. Three days ago we were bowled out for 300 and if we hadn't bowled them out for 160 in the first dig we would be saying very different things.

"The guys will be fine. They are pretty mature and they haven't got time to rest on their laurels. We are off to Ireland tomorrow (Tuesday, for a one-day international) and we will start the hard work again."

Flower, asked what he had learnt, having hesitated to take on the job of England coach, said: "I've learnt a hell of a lot. I don't want to bore you with the details, I'd bore myself, but it's been great fun.

"It's a great challenge and I'm proud to have been given the responsibility of the position and now we have to move it forward."

In the midst of England's celebrations, Flower had time to have a word with close friend Moores, now in charge at Lancashire.

"I did actually, yes, I did indeed. He?s very happy and proud of the boys," Flower said.