Flower also gave his backing to new England coach Chris Silverwood.

"I'm really happy for Chris that he's getting the chance to lead England and I think he's going to do a great job," he said. "I also want to wish Mo Bobat, the new performance director, all the best in his new role."

Flower hinted that he was more likely to return to the game with a coaching role at a T20 franchise than in the international game.

"I haven't had a sustained break for quite a long time," he said. "I will still be based in England and I will continue to watch English cricket very keenly - it has a very bright future."

Flower's departure completes a major overhaul in the ECB's structure since the start of the year.

Andrew Strauss stepped down from the team director role due to family reasons, and has become head of the cricket committee, while Ashley Giles has moved into his old role. Trevor Bayliss vacated the head coach role, which was filled by Silverwood, while David Parsons left his performance director role to be replaced by Bobat.

Mark Ramprakash left his position as a batting coach, and reports have suggested that Kevin Shine (fast-bowling coach) and Peter Such (spin coach) are expected to leave their roles. Silverwood's backroom staff has yet to be announced, though it is expected that continuity, rather than upheaval, will be the order of the day.