Flintoff says he did not want the England captain's job

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff insists he wanted Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores to stay as England captain and coach.

Flintoff dismissed suggestions he had sought Pietersen's removal as skipper after his relationship with Moores had broken down.

"I hoped both of them could carry on in their jobs," he told the Daily Mirror.

"I supported Kevin as captain and I also enjoyed working with Peter. It is a shame that things had to end the way they did."

South Africa-born Pietersen resigned as captain last week and Moores was sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board on the same day.

The relationship between the pair became strained during the two-Test tour to India in December after disagreements over training regimes and later by the non-selection of ex-captain Michael Vaughan for the forthcoming tour to the West Indies.

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Flintoff admitted he had underestimated the extent of the impasse between the two men, having only recently returned to the England team after recovering from an ankle injury.

"I probably didn't realise how serious it was between them," said the 30-year-old. "Having only been involved for a short space of time I didn't see it coming."

Andrew Strauss has been given both the Test and one-day captain roles, even though the left-hander has not played a limited overs match for England for almost two years.

Flintoff has been touted as England's one-day and Twenty20 captain should Strauss fail, but he believes the extra responsibility would interfere with his natural game.

"The captaincy is not something I'm hanging out for. I had a go at it and I found it quite difficult trying to bat, bowl, field at slip and then captain as well," he said.

"My priority is getting a win in the West Indies."

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