England escaped from Sri Lanka with a 1-1 series draw after clinching an eight-wicket victory on the final day of the second Test at Colombo.

Despite some impressive performances from the bowlers against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, England coach Flower admits the batsmen have failed to take advantage of the pressure they have put on opposition sides.

"It is our batting that has cost us this winter," Flower told Sky Sports. "Our bowling has been brilliant throughout.

"In the particular conditions that we have faced this winter, there are particular sets of skills you need to play against spin.

"So the batting skills and methods are where we fell short."

Success

Nevertheless, Flower was pleased to finish the winter with a win, before England host the West Indies in May.

He added: "I am really pleased to see that they seem to be learning. For a team to get to number one in the world and still be able to learn and improve themselves in an all-round capacity - that's what really gets me excited.

"We are not the finished article just because we won one Test on the sub-continent, but it was nice to see people adjust their games and have success doing it."

Despite their problems against the slower bowling, England's own attack never wavered - nor did their standards in the field.

"We've always got doubts, but when you play international cricket over an extended period of time, doubts can be created," Flower added.

"But I do trust this group of players and I think they are repaying me for that trust.

"Watching Jimmy Anderson run in during the 89th over yesterday (Friday) and banging out a spell of quality and commitment made us all feel proud."

Despite ending the series on a high, though, Flower is still aware of what his side are missing.

"What we need is a genuine, world-class all-rounder to bat and bowl - something we've not had since Andrew Flintoff," he said.