'Architect' for England's revival says team 'on slide' since being beaten by Proteas in 2012

A key architect of the resurgence of English cricket has backed under-fire England team director Andy Flower and said that he believes Flower's team peaked 18 months before it surrendered the urn.

Ken Schofield, who penned the England's version of Cricket Australia's (CA) Argus report after its whitewash in 2006-07, believes England has been on the slide since being beaten at home by South Africa in 2012 under Andrew Strauss - a defeat that cost it the No.1 Test ranking.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Schofield said that he thinks England had high hopes that they could beat South Africa in the summer of 2012 although they were comprehensively beaten in that series.

The report mentioned that in what proved to be a sign of things to come for England, it unravelled in the face of high-class fast bowling from South Africa's gun trio of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel but bounced back by defeating India on the subcontinent.

However, Schofield does not think that England needs wholesale changes to its team or the cricket system nor was another in-depth review required and called for a calm approach when reviewing England's debacle this summer.