According to Captain Blackadder, there was just one tiny flaw in the European system of ententes and alliances during the early twentieth century, which it was assumed would prevent war by means of mutual deterrent.
“It was bollocks”.
Rowan Atkinson’s most celebrated creation would likely have drawn a similar analysis of the ECB’s management of the England cricket team since January.
Just as the relationship between the Entente and Central powers made war inevitable, not impossible, the decision to sack Kevin Pietersen guaranteed the exact opposite outcome to its ostensible purpose.
Officially, Pietersen was removed to enable the construction of a new team. But in reality, his axing made that aim impossible to achieve.
The ECB’s strategy ensnared the management within an inescapable trap of their own making and design.
By sacking Pietersen rather than dropping or suspending him, Paul Downton allowed himself no way back if things went wrong.
By removing such an iconic and significant player, in contentious circumstances, and on only vaguely disclosed grounds, Downton – and by extension Giles Clarke and Andy Flower – staked the management’s entire personal and professional reputations, and the ECB’s corporate reputation, on the decision.
By publicly stating that Pietersen was removed to bolster and protect Alastair Cook, and in overtly building their entire future around the incumbent captain, Downton tightened the self-tied binds even further.
The sacking of Pietersen lit the fuse of the bomb which detonated at Lord’s yesterday afternoon. English cricket is now forever lumbered with a bankrupt and totally ineffectual captain, who lacks the honour and grace to resign, because it is impossible for the management to sack him.
Impossible because Downton has invested every penny of their equity in Cook. Impossible because they sacked Pietersen for Cook. Impossible because to dismiss Cook – only four tests after they stuck their necks out for him – would be too humiliating for their pride and vanity to bear.
The ECB’s ego trumps any other consideration. And ultimately, removing Cook would be an admission that they were wrong to cull Pietersen.
The upshot is that England are being fatally undermined by a lame-duck captain who is being kept in the job by politics alone. Paul Downton has put himself, and the team, in a catastrophic situation – from which, due to his stupidity and arrogance, he cannot escape.
It hasn’t helped that by treating the cricketing public with such disdain and contempt, the ECB have squandered every last reserve of supporters’ patience and goodwill. As a result, they have even less room for manoeuvre, and have developed a siege mentality.
This is nothing to do with Pietersen himself – either as a person or a batsman. Had he played this summer he might have performed well; equally, he might not have.
Rather, it is the mindset and rationale, and this is not just hindsight speaking.
After England’s calamitous Ashes tour, Paul Downton made no effort to analyse and remedy the genuine reasons for the team’s disintegration. Instead, he ringfenced the captain who presided over the disaster, and promoted the coach. Flower was then replaced by an acolyte, in the shape of Peter Moores, who not only promised more of the same but had already attempted the job previously, and failed. Apart from removing Graham Gooch as batting coach, the infrastructure and modus operandi of Team England remained unchanged.
Downton, with Giles Clarke’s report, imagined he could rebuild the side through management speak and vague aspirations to copy rugby teams. He spoke incessantly of team ethic and culture as if simply repeating the words would achieve something. Had he genuinely examined the side’s culture and philosophy he would likely have found an insular and self-deluded environment which distrusted instinct, self-expression, and outsiders.
Did he reflect on why so many promising or valuable players – such as Nick Compton, Michael Carberry, Monty Panesar, and Steven Finn – could not make their faces fit? On why so many senior players lost form and fitness? Did he wonder about their workload, their schedule, and their sanity?
Paul Downton thought that sacking Kevin Pietersen would solve all the problems. As we saw yesterday, he was wrong.
On sky’s verdict last night they had a poll of…….should Cook go as captain? The result was 74% yes. 26% no. The only reason I mention it is because earlier in the day, at lunch time, Aggers had Selvey, Etheridge, and Brenkey on. And they all agreed there was no clamour for Cook to go. Which just shows how of touch ECB s favourite media is.
Cooks post match comments about Prior just show what a farce the England team and management have become. According to Cook it was up to Prior if he wanted to stand down. Apparently having serious injury problems is just fine if your face fits. It’s to Priors credit he has put the team first. Cook is now either completely delusional or very selfish. If he really believes he has something to offer as a captain he is delusional. And if he is just hanging on for dear life he is selfish.
English cricket is in a hell of a mess. We are being out bowled in our own country by Asian medium fast bowlers. And our batsman can’t play short pitched bowling. It’s one thing to struggle against 95 mile an hour Mitchell Johnson on bouncy pitches in Australia . but we can’t play 80-85 mile an hour bowlers with the old ball. India did not even take the new bowl yesterday. The cupboard that is spin bowling is as bare as can be.
I have no confidence in the ECB to put any of this stuff right. While Rome has been burning down the ECB Nero’s have been fiddling. Mostly with money,ego and delusion.
Great post.
Not the first time I have said this Mark, but the arrogant Jonathan Agnew is on the ECB’s books, so he will not ever comment on the failings of the ECB whilst being fed by Waitrose.
Somebody needs to grab the shepherds hook and drag Cook off the stage. History will not be kind to Cook if he hangs on and holds England under the water like he has been. Like you said, selfish.
‘Jonathan Agnew is on the ECB’s books’
Really – so the ECB own Waitrose? Wow, who knew……
You’d do well to check how long Agnew has written for Waitrose mag & then check the numerous articles, critical of the ECB, Agnew has written in that period of years. Or would that not suit the conspiracy theory?
Pam – go and make Agnew another cake, that was what he was good at. When he started becoming Cook & ECB’s head cheerleader he lost a lot of support.
You’re a funny guy – probably unintentionally, but still……
What are you basing ‘he lost a lot of support’ on?
Did he not recently appear in the Waitrose promo’s with the English cricket team?
It works out very nicely in the long run if Agnew is nice to the ECB don’t you think? Actually don’t answer that, your sarcasm is not required for such emotional topics as the English cricket team.
I assume ‘promo’s’ is a grammatical error and you meant it in the plural ‘promos’ – Agnew appeared in *1* film that was not used, and was never intended to be used, by Waitrose for promo/advertising. He’s written for the Waitrose mag for at least 2 yrs, long before Waitrose sponsored England.
As for emotional……it’s not an emotional topic at all when discussed by rational folk.
Firstly I didn’t know Agnew wrote for the Waitrose mag – I don’t live in the UK, and despite shopping at Waitrose when I am in the UK, I don’t read their mag and nor do I have much time for Agnew.
Secondly, sorry for the typo, I didn’t realise you are a coiled spring and ready to pounce on any minor error. Your house must be a tough gig!
Thirdly, read all the posts, there is little rational, just highly passionate people venting their frustrations at a sport they love. I have two passports, so I’m not really that stressed out over England and their massive fall from grace. But I’m a cricket tragic, and I want to see a competitive England side, which they have the potential. But I am also mourning the demise of West Indian cricket, like many others. In fact there is many similarities with both England and WI. The cricket world order has been shuffled around since that great Australian team retired, and whilst they climbed back up to number one again, there are not too many teams, other than SA, who can dominate.
So to all you emotional cricket supporters out there, Pam wants you to be more rational, got it?!
Pam, TFT is not for you.
‘Firstly I didn’t know Agnew wrote for the Waitrose mag’
Quite…..it invalidates the point of those saying Agnew is in the pocket of the ECB & citing Waitrose as proof.
As for wanting England to win – I spend £1000s going to watch England. It in no way precludes me from being rational.
I asked Jonathan about that advert in our interview, which you can hear here:
https://www.thefulltoss.com/england-cricket-blog/jonathan-agnew-interview/
Thanks, Mark. Little surprise those particular journalists don’t appreciate the extent of genuine public feeling – they blame anti-Cookism on Twitter, as if it were an entity with its own consciousness, rather than just the expression of what people think.
Cook’s comments on Prior only confirmed what we’ve heavily suspected for years. If you’re one of their mates and on the ‘inside’, you can do no wrong. If your face doesn’t fit, and you’re not in the clique, you’re not allowed a single mistake.
As George Dobell kind of said in his piece yesterday, imagine if Pietersen had played a shot like Prior’s in that situation?
There is an element of Versailles to the ECB and their puppet media Maxie. I half expect Pringle or Clarke to tell us all to ” let them eat cake.” In many ways by continuing to back Cook they are doing exactly that.
English cricket has not been as divided since Packer. But you would not know that reading the drivel that is written in the media. According to them it is only about Kevin.
Mark,
They’ve been doing the let them eat cake nonsense since the Ashes finished. Paul Newman makes a wonderful Marie Antoinette, as ECB castigate leaks to people outside cricket, while he has someone singing like a bird for him in Sydney.
This schism cannot heal quickly. Wins just won’t do. Too much has happened. Too many insults thrown our way (and thrown back with interest).
I know this sounds really sad, but I was at Guildford today. I saw an England sunhat on sale for £15. It was in super large head size. I thought, I could do with it as just had a cap, and the sun was pretty fierce today. Then I thought this meant putting money into their coffers. The ECB. Not Surrey. So I bought a nice cool lager instead! That’s how I feel. Yes, I know it’s not consistent, but it is just a small thing I can do.
As I’ve said in my place, Cook is playing this well. He knows that if he refuses to resign, it needs the ECB to do the thing they hate doing more than I hate broccoli. That’s admitting they’ve made the mother of all cock-ups. So, we get a media telling us that Cook’s position is untenable if he loses at Lord’s and doesn’t score runs, and then recast that to lose the series and not score runs. Untenable ain’t what it used to be….
Great piece Dmitri. I reckon you did better to drink a nice long lager than buy the hat! Couldn’t agree more. ECB won’t back down nor will Cook. I think the ECB would rather knacker the players till injuries are irreversible, than do the right thing(s). The ECB is just not capable of a real responsible decision concerning England Cricket. Money grabbing and power grabbing is their collective raison d’être! If they truly cared about the players they would drop Cook, Broad, Bell and Anderson and give them all a real rest. They couldn’t give a toss about Cook, the man or player. Pride and ego are making the decisions here.
Interesting to hear what Selvey and co said, especially given Selvey’s piece in the Guardian. I should say that a very good percentage are blaming the ECB for the state of our cricket. Selvey was being questioned for his change of views. Some were suggesting that Selvey’s sarcasm was beyond them.
Not only the ECB but all the journalists who supported the ECB have also backed themselves into the same corner. So the journalists continue to look through ECB rose tinted glasses and keep spouting the same old same old. Why should they let the truth get in the way of drip feed lies fed to them by ECB? The ECB need these gullible journalists to continue to try and sell the same old lies. We are told by Selvey that we have “no idea what has gone on!” Well in some ways we do not, but then as “outsiders” we are not going to know all that has happened; We are not supposed to know what really went on, but simply accept all the poison feeding from the ECB. It is now backfiring on them. Let the ECB keep digging their own grave. This is what they wanted and they will have to live with it. I have absolutely no sympathy for this bunch of Old Farts who have collectively ruined England Cricket. I cannot watch England playing so badly without getting a twitch.
KP? He’s history with this lot. Whatever the ins and outs of that saga pales into the background given the current situation. Just agony seeing it happen. I’m not even sure if after 30 years of enjoying cricket I will ever be able to get excited again. Seeing Downton’s inane grin, standing next to Cook being interviewed by Warne made me want to hit the screen. Sad innit?
Dmitri,
I don’t think Cook is ‘playing’ this at all. While I don’t think he’s a great captain, he’s determined and stubborn and as hard-working as anybody anywhere, and I don’t think will quit at anything, ever.
I’ve never had this view of Cook as some dreamy-eyed, nice boy that the ECB and the media seem so keen to portray. I would expect every single international cricketer to be determined, stubborn and hard-working. It isn’t a characteristic unique to Cook, no matter how much the ECB are selling it, in concert with the print media.
I know I’m a cyincal old curmudgeon, but young Cookie is very, very commercially aware. He knows his image sells well with the sort of corporate customers we view with suspicion but the ECB call “stakeholders”. It’s worth a lot more as captain than it is as one of the troops. Now I’m not, by any means, saying that is all there is to it, but he knows all that might be keeping him in the team is the captaincy. He’s hardly making a persuasive case to stay as an opener, now he’s nearing 30 and chronically out of form.
And the don’t quit stuff? He told us he was thinking about it. More than once.He might be selling that pup now, but I ain’t buying it.
But doesn’t there come a point at which determination and resolve become obstinacy and selfishness?
Dimitri that is priceless. I think Paul Newman would make a wonderful Marie Antoinette. Certainly a better Marie than a journalist.
What we need is a few tumbrels and guillotines . Not literally of course. We know how sensitive Cook and ECB stenographers are to criticism.
Marie Antoinette, she was queen of France wasn’t she? It was decent old atmosphere around Paris at that time, don’t you think? That cake statement wasn’t a great thing for team ethic, don’t you agree? I think she needed to go, and the crowd thought so too. Louis, he was the 16th King of France with that name, wasn’t he?
That guillotine thing, it’s like the death sentence isn’t it?
English cricket has certainly never been as divided in the thirty years I’ve been a follower. “Outside cricket” gave the game away; it’s the governing body and the media v the supporters,
Maxie, Kevin did, in Australia and was pillared for it and deservedly so.
But hardly to the same extent, and neither was Cook when he played an awful hook – I think it was at Perth.
It always puzzled me why Pietersen was excoriated for attacking mistakes but not Cook for defensive mistakes.
An attacking shot is high risk, especially when there’s a field set for the shot, therefore the criticism is generally dependant on the game situation. There are times to take risks, and times to be more circumspect – in Australia in the winter KP kept taking them on and getting out when England needed him to be batting – as Geoffrey always says “can’t make runs sitting in the pavilion”.
Defensive mistake generally the result of a technical flaw or a good ball, although I think Cook’s current problems are as much down to a scrambled mind.
I’d wait till the series is lost before condemning the whole of English cricket, the young batters in to replace Carberry, KP and Bairstow have looked the part, reason to be optimistic if anything.
I think lumping together Compton, Carberry, Panesar and Finn is a little lazy and convenient in making the argument that “it’s not just Kevin” truth is each case listed above (and let’s not forget the other players not currently in the 11) is completely different.
Time for some perspective, I don’t think Cook deserves to play and that shouldn’t be ignore but then again the loss on Monday wasn’t “KP bomb” but (sorry not as sexy) a young team in transition led by a group of struggling senior players.
Well I have already seen England loose (sorry destroyed) in Australia. I have seen them beaten in the first series of the summer against SriLanker, even though England should have won the first test easily, and now they are one down against India. (Despite winning the toss on a green top) how much more evidence do you need?
Yes England may come back, but a drawn series or even a win will not hide the mess English cricket is in. Remember this is 5th plays 4th. India have not won an away series since a long time ago. Hardly any of their team has ever played here before. This is not West Indies 1976 vintage.
The Kevin Pietersen issue is just a symptom of a much bigger problem. IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT KEVIN. The ECB would like to you believe that critics like my self are all nuts and cranks. Like Piers Morgan we are all on Twitter shouting the odds. (I’m not on Twitter) I m sorry, but increasingly I can’t take anyone seriously who still believes Cook is a good captain or will become a good captain. He has past Mike Gatting, Wally Hammond and Douglas Jardine in number of test he has captained. If he can’t do it now he never will. And apart form that his batting is in deep trouble. He does not warrant a place in the team either as batsman or captain. But as Maxie says he is kept on for political reasons.
Surely the question one has to ask is are we getting the best out of what we have? The answer is a resounding no. From the ECB management of the English game, the management of the English team, the captain, and the players.
The Kevin Pietersen issue is just a symptom of a much bigger problem. IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT KEVIN.
Absolutely right. The young players are the future and it is they who need to be brought on and mentored. I fear for these young players under the management of this ECB bunch of dipsticks. If the last year of management is anything to go by, or even since Downton and Moores took over, then the ECB management stinks. Time to let the senior players loose for a while and rest. If the ECB cared at all that is what they would be doing. Sadly, the ECB do not. And there we are in mess, the like of which I have never, ever seen in 30 years of following England.
time you went to specsavers
According to Kevin’s statement, England were going to honour his contract and let it wind down, but he wanted a settlement so he could be freed up to play IPL. Therefore he wasn’t sacked.
Believe me, the ECB have handled things badly, but Pietersen has not been some kind of innocent victim.
Pieterson certainly was sacked. Maybe not financially or legally, but he was told he would never play again. Forced out would be a better term but essentially the same in this case.
As I understand it, Pietersen was told his contract would still be honoured but he would never play for England again. So he asked to be released to go and play IPL and play for Surrey. Why should the ECB tell him he wouldn’t play again for England and then expect him to sit around twiddling his thumbs. Anyway the statements by Downton and Giles make a lie of Pietersen wanting out. They have both said publicly that they were moving on, and how when they had strong leadership they could accommodate KP and now they cannot. If that is not telling KP he will never play for England again, I don’t know what is. Out the ECB’s own mouths they condemn themselves and make a lie about KP walking away.
How bizarre. A guy is told his employer doesn’t want him and he no longer has a job, so he says in that case he’d like to be free to look for another job, and you attribute blame to him because of this.
Essentially the definition of post hoc ergo propter hoc.
THA
I haven’t attached blame to him about the contract settlement – merely stating the facts surrounding the termination – it was his choice to settle rather than sit it out
In terms of blame, Pietersen’s problems with the ECB go back 5 years over the whole captaincy debacle, and since then it’s been an uneasy relationship.
As with every conflict in the world, there are two sides to it, and Pietersen has not been without fault in his dealings with the ECB – I think in some aspects, like doos-gate, he has taken some incredibly bad advice.
Your view of events appears to be somewhat skewed to say the least. KP was sacked. He was told he was not wanted by England and he would never play for England again. Of course the ECB did not want to break KPs contract as that would have cost the ECB a great deal of money. So the ECB and KP came to an agreement. KP was told to say nothing about anything until this October. The ECB forced the deal on KP to stay silent and they would do likewise. Unfortunately the ECB had Downton who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. PR disaster on two legs. How he got this job I just cannot imagine.
As for the Captaincy debacle it wasn’t just KP vs Moores. It was Vaughan and the players under him who made the complaints about Moores. Vaughan is on record saying he couldn’t get on with Moores because PM wanted to be in charge both on and off the field. Treated all the players like school children? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yes I know, wasn’t that said about Mr Flower as well? Concentrate Anny. Vaughan just couldn’t work with him and the players were fed up. Vaughan then retired. KP eventually got the job and same thing was happening. But please don’t let the facts get in the way of the ECB et al, revisionism. Not saying that KP wasn’t difficult because clearly he wasn’t easy. However, saying that Moores lost his job because of KP – as the ECB would love us all to think – is just ludicrous.
Texting scandal was terrible. KP was utterly moronic and stupid. Still one thing is for sure, Strauss has had has revenge on KP. My once highly held opinion of Strauss now lies in the gutter with the rest of crap!
The ECB and the rest of the journos who side with them and the former cricket players who keep churning out the same old stock phrases neither impresses me nor helps me to believe any of them.
Annie is right about Michael Vaughan being the captain who first had issues with Peter Moores. But that is just another thing which has been air brushed out of ECB history. Pietersen took over the captaincy and wanted Moores out. The ECB reacted with fury to the temerity of this up start South African demanding the sacking of the coach. So they sacked KP as captain.
But then interestingly they also sacked Moores. Proving both Vaughan and KP right. If KP was wrong why not just sack him and keep the coach?
But KP had ideas above his station. It is not for the below stairs to start demanding who should be sacked. An example had to be made.
Indeed. I heard that KP was asked to write a report on Mr Moores on behalf of all the players, which he did and for his trouble he was sacked. Of course the report on Mr Moores must have been very damning for the ECB to have sacked Moores. Clearly the players didn’t like Moores as they had been complaining about his bullying methods from Vaughan’s time. As you rightly say Mark, this incident has all been “airbrushed” out of existence.
2009
Michael Vaughan has revealed his exasperation as he tried in vain to forge a successful working relationship between himself as England captain and Peter Moores as coach.
Long before Vaughan resigned last year, unable to rediscover his best batting form after his absences with knee injuries, he was finding it tough to adapt to Moores’ methods in the post-Duncan Fletcher era.
Vaughan writes: ‘The team is starting to get irritated by the new management regime – being told what to do and treated like schoolkids. Peter [Moores] loves talking and having the last word.’
Vaughan’s qualms were not short-lived about a man who was eventually sacked from his post early this year after it became clear he and Vaughan’s replacement Kevin Pietersen were incompatible in their roles.
Vaughan explains: ‘”I still think that the England captain should have ultimate control, but Peter wanted to be in charge from the sidelines.
‘What I found is that he wanted to do everyone’s jobs for them …
‘Duncan would never do that; he would trust me to get on with it.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-1222649/Michael-Vaughan-admits-I-tough-working-England-boss.html#ixzz38K11Q4We
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
‘Vaughan and Pietersen have a mutual dislike for Moores’ over-analytical coaching methods. “That’ll teach them to go with stats,” Vaughan was allegedly heard to mutter at Headingley once Darren Pattinson’s selection began to look like the aberration most felt it to be.
Paul Collingwood has always been close to Vaughan, which explains why, if only for a year, the two men tolerated the less-than-ideal splitting of the Test and one-day captaincies. Collingwood was also understood to have been wary of Moores’ approach to the job and never forgot his loyalty to Duncan Fletcher.’
Paints a more two sided story. The one dimensional picture from the ECB just doesn’t stack up.
When you say my view is skewed, what you mean is that I have a different opinion to you.
How has Strauss had his revenge? He was caught on audio saying something privately (he thought) to a colleague, and ended up looking stupid because of it, and is rightly mortified. Maybe he does think that of KP – he spent 7 years in a dressing room with him – he knows him better than you or I, and KP let him down badly
The rift between Moores and Pietersen led directly to Moores being sacked and Pietersen openly advocated Moores’ removal. After the Ashes victory in 2009, KP took credit for removing Moores, saying that if he hadn’t done it, Moores would have still been coach and they wouldn’t have won.
As for Flower, 18 series in charge, 4 lost. Whatever you think of his style, it was successful. And for all the talk of the schoolmasterly approach, it’s not like there aren’t other strong characters and personalities in there as well as KP, Anderson, Broad and Swann aren’t exactly shrinking violets, and Strauss was an intelligent and capable captain. They all seemed to get on with it, play their best, and not get caught up in all the bullshit that KP seems to.
“The rift between Moores and Pietersen led directly to Moores being sacked and Pietersen openly advocated Moores’ removal.”
I think that’s what she means about a skewed perspective. He didn’t ‘openly advocate’. He was instructed by the ECB to write a memo with his plan, as captain, for improving the (failing) England team. One of his suggestions was removing Moores. Vaughan, Flintoff, and others are on record saying that was the wish of the team. It was a private document.
A private document which the ECB then leaked and used as an excuse to sack him whilst he was on a plane.
“In terms of blame, Pietersen’s problems with the ECB go back 5 years over the whole captaincy debacle, and since then it’s been an uneasy relationship.”
The ECB told him to write a memo and when he did, they leaked it and sacked him. Why would ‘blame’ be associated with him in any way for that?
Read my post again
‘It’s been an uneasy relationship’ since then – that doesn’t attach blame to Pietersen.
At the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding – whatever KP has done, he has managed to alienate just about everybody inside England Cricket, including team-mates, coaches and management, and it seems that nobody is willing to go into bat for him.
I would suggest that twitter outbursts, sending derogatory texts to opposition players about your captain, and releasing mealy-mouthed, self-serving youtube videos about your commitment when specifically asked not to are not actions that are going to lead to a harmonious relationship.
I think Strauss got it right – there was a complete absence of trust (probably on both sides), and relationships without trust are doomed to fail, sooner or later.
For the record, I have nothing against him, he’s brash, and confrontational and that’s what made him the player he was – I wish he’d kept it for opposition, and I wish his mum had closed his twitter account.
Most of all, I wish somebody had sat down with him and told him to forget about all the peripheral bullshit, remember that Piers Morgan is on this crusade for the advancement of “Piers Morgan the people’s champion” as much as for Kevin Pietersen, and just make runs.
I did read your post. You said:
“Pietersen openly advocated Moores’ removal”
Which clearly isn’t true.
“Read my post again
‘It’s been an uneasy relationship’ since then – that doesn’t attach blame to Pietersen.”
But you also wrote:
“Kev has been the architect of his own downfall”
which clearly does attach blame.
I do read your posts, I’m just wondering if you do.
It’s skewed because you appear to be inferring that KP walked away from England. He didn’t. Giles Clark & Paul Downton have both publicly said that there was no longer a place for KP in the side. Saying he was sacked or not sacked is just semantics. The fact is the ECB couldn’t “sack him” legally without having to pay KP vast amount of money because KP still had a year left on his contract. So, they told KP he would never play for England again, so KP made a deal with them. Fait accompli! You have your contract but we will never let you play for England again? What bit of that is so difficult to grasp!
Moores already had gathered his enemies during Vaughan’s captaincy. Players were complaining. I’ve actually shown you the stuff from Vaughan and how he disliked Moores dictatorial approach and the players were fed up with him. So Moores was already in trouble. Then along comes KP and is asked by the ECB for his report on Moores and the team in general. Clearly the players were fed up with Moores and didn’t like his approach. So they leaked that report to the press and got rid of Moores and KP. After which Strauss took over.
Strauss was not a great captain, as he was far too defensive, but he had a great team of players and Strauss was batting well. Strauss got his revenge by being caught out. Look stupid? You bet he looked stupid. “Unreserved apology?” What a joke. And this is despite the fact that KP went to see Strauss and made a personal apology to Strauss. Obviously the need for revenge on Strauss’ part was something on the back boiler. Whether this is enough for Strauss is neither here nor there. Just read some of the comments that have been made since by Journos to see just how much support Strauss got. A great deal of support from the usual suspects.
Flower had a period of success and then in the last year he became dictatorial. Plenty of players were complaining about his treating players like school kids. Why it happens I don’t know. But clearly he didn’t like KP – being a close friend of Moores and the texting incident – and wanted rid. Flower and Gooch both wanted to get rid of KP. Cook was being mentored by them both. They got their way. End of story.
I am not about to accept what the ECB drip drip venom that is fed to the journos and ex-cricketers and their stock phrases repeated ad nauseum. By their mouths the ECB condemn themselves. They don’t need anyone else’s help.
Is that you, Piers?
Oh what a cheap shot! Blimey! I am gobsmacked.
Annie, I apologise – it was a genuine attempt to take a little heat out of the debate which backfired. Hopefully, there is room on this forum for every England cricket fan’s opinion, and not just the ardent KP fans.
You make a staunch defense of your man, and while I agree with many of the views about the ECB, I din’t get the criticisms of Strauss’s captaincy and Flower are unwarranted. Whatever you think of their styles, their results were exceptional – is it a coincidence that Flower’s style became more dictatorial once he no longer had his more intelligent and diplomatic lieutenant as a foil?
You will probably disagree with me, but the key thing that I can’t reconcile is that if, as you say, Flower had it in for KP, why did he not get rid of him after the texting saga. Flower had a perfect opportunity and would have had the sympathy of many, because it was a moronic act that undermined the team in the middle of a key series. Yet KP was brought back.
The fact is he was fired. He just didn’t want to remain contractually obliged to the people who’d fired him.
This is the thing about the whole Pietersen issue – didn’t we used to call it getting dropped?
The language always seems to be a bit more emotive where KP is concerned.
You get dropped by the selection committee. KP was specifically excluded from eligibility for selection by the Managing Director, who is not part of the selection process. That isn’t the same thing at all.
Absolutely right.
He wasn’t dropped. He was “sacked” and his playing career for England was curtailed. It isn’t the use of “emotive” speak, it is a fact. I cannot see why you don’t get that? I really do not. When Giles Clark and Paul Downton takes about the future of England he told the world and his wife that England would not see the return of KP to the side. End of story.
Hamish…he was sacked. When you’re told you’ll never play for England ever again for “diengagement”….you’re bloody sacked…end of!! He wanted a settlement as the ECB had their grubby paws on his money and would have screwed him! The confidentiality agreement was at the ECB’s insistence, by the by! Another ticking time bomb waiting to explode come Sept/Oct? After that atrocious and abject display in the last test it seems that “disengagement” trumps sheer total ineptitude and uselessness every day of the week!
Indeed. It just shows how the rotten stuff from the ECB becomes almost Folklore to some members of the press and public. If the ECB says it then it must be true? Like the balls up from Etheridge tweeting that KP had given back his trophies from the ECB? It wasn’t true. Etheridge had to apologise to KP on Twitter and then the Sun had to apologise for allowing such stuff to be published without checking it out first. Etheridge said he had been given the information from someone inside the ECB. Many, including myself, asked Mr Etheridge to tell us who the informant was but nothing doing. So another bit of tittle tattle that was proved to be untrue. It was Mr Etheridge himself who told KP and the world and his wife that the info was from the ECB. Now why would they do that? I notice also that this incident was not mentioned in any of the cricket columnists such as Mike Selvey, Vic Marks and DP and the rest. Now I wonder why! It’s a bit like the same statement spouted out of the mouths of so many ECB lackeys and former cricketers: “KP has always caused problems in every dressing room he has been in!” I cannot tell you how many times that has been said by so many. I said to DP: How the hell did they got all those people in all those dressing rooms over all those years to know that? It is Folklore now.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Joseph Goebbels!!!
ECB has persuaded a hell of a lot of people that their lies are the truth. Must have been reading this stuff!!!
Speaking of Etheridge Annie,and as you say his love of repeating ECB talking points. The one thing he said of interest on Aggers lunch time show was he had been told there are rumblings about Peter Moores. Now I am not a fan of Moores but if Etheridge is right, and the ECB are getting twitchy about him this shows how desperate they are becoming .
Etheridge has been wrong before. But if true , and ECB are ready to throw the coach under the bus so soon into the ‘new era’ then they better get ready to sign up Brian Rix because we will have the farce to end all farces.
Personally I just don’t believe it. Unless golden boy Cook has taken against him.
Ooh. How very interesting to read that Mark. Very interesting indeed. Of course Cook would have been in the team that complained about Moores during Moores first time round. So I am surprised he didn’t realise what he was like at that time. Mind you he would have been much younger then and probably finding his feet. As an old Greek philosopher once said: “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history!”
Perhaps we should get hold of Brian Rix and get him to write a piece on this saga as I am sure we could all do with a laugh for a change.
Quite funny Annie that I wrote “ECB are ready to throw the coach under the bus ”
I’m not sure a coach will go under a bus,but I think you know what I mean.
Ha ha ha! That went over my head yesterday. LOL. I’m sure someone with artistic skills could come up with a great picture!!! Lovely.
In his begrudging apology did Etheredge not also say he would “look” into the “categorical” source of the lies he told. Has he ever revealed the outcome of his investigation ? I would love to see it if it has been published.
The question keeps being asked but so far nothing has been forthcoming. One person’s name was mentioned and he got on Twitter and went bananas. Became very irrational indeed. So the “categorical source” is still in the wind it would seem. Unless Maxie or James have heard something.
Ha! Etheridge hoped people would forget about his reproduction of that blatant lie. We haven’t.
The management might well have thought (wrongly) that sacking KP would solve the team’s problems … but is continuing to bang on about him 6 months later doing anyone any good?
Cast your mind back to the furore over David Gower’s omission, for similar nebulous “not a team player” reasons, over 20 years ago. Then, as now, there was a massive hue and cry from certain cricket fans, it was just in the form of an extraordinary MCC general meeting rather than via social media. But some just refused to let it go, and this would surely have had an impact on the team on the pitch – turning what would already have been a difficult tour of India into a nightmare one. The fuss continued into the following Ashes summer when England tried to bring in some new blood – doesn’t show much confidence in the new guys when some are still going on about those not in the team. It was only when Gower was left out of the Windies tour party, and decided to retire, that a young team could finally move forward. They still took a few beatings in the Caribbean, but a win in Barbados sprung a few green shoots.
Like most on this blog I have ever growing doubts about Cook, but I still think the main reason he kept his job in Feb was the lack of any credible alternative. The management have bet the house on him, so they’ve given themselves no choice but to stick with him until the end of this series. But going on and on about KP is helping no one. A decision’s been made and they’re not going back on it. What happened in the winter wasn’t the fault of the new players – for their sake at least, draw a line under the issue and concentrate on the current team.
You find, more and more HH, that the people repeatedly going on about KP are the same journalists berating the great unwashed for having the temerity to raise concerns back in February.
Want evidence?
See Andy Wilson’s article on Matt Prior in The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/21/matt-prior-break-england-fitness
Garreth – Pietersen is still relevant not as an individual, as I argued above, but for the reason you state yourself:
” The management have bet the house on him, so they’ve given themselves no choice but to stick with him until the end of this series”.
I don’t think the ECB have handled it well, and think they’re a deeply flawed organisation, but I think in many ways Kev has been the architect of his own downfall with those around him – the texts to Graeme Smith showed a disastrous lack of judgement, only matched by the mealy-mouthed youtube video and the “It’s tough being me” interview that he released in the aftermath.
As far as ineptitude goes, do you remember some of KP’s dismissals during the ashes?
In the first 3 tests when the Ashes were alive, KP never saw the score past 150.
Brisbane 1st Inns – clipped to short midwicket to a man placed there for the shot Score – 82/3
Brisbane 2nd Inns – England battling to save the game – KP takes on the hook, gets caught 72/3
Adelaide 1st inns – Australia 500+, England wobbling at 57/2, after 12 balls, KP comes down wicket to Siddle and picks out short midwicket, again placed there for the shot 66/3.
Adelaide 2nd inns – Batting for draw,Pietersen chops on after making 50 – unlucky 131/3
Perth 1st inns – Australia 385, England 136/3, Bell and Pietersen at wicket, KP tries to hit Siddle over his head and gets caught – 146/4
Perth 2nd inns – England need to bat 4 sessions for the draw, KP dances down wicket and gets caught at long on. 121/4.
I don’t know about being disengaged in Sydney, but in the first 3 tests his brain was disengaged – 5 of those 6 dismissals were soft, and all in situations where England needed their senior batsman to stand up and be counted. Yet people on this site seem to think that he’s the messiah. 5 years ago he was up there with the best in the world, but since his falling out with the ECB over the captaincy, he’s been a one-innings a series man – England’s success of the last 5 years was built on Cook and Bell’s 100s and Anderson and Swann’s wickets. KP has been a peripheral player.
And yet wasn’t he the highest runs scorer for England that series?
I have no love for KP, but I don’t think he was the only party to act dishonourably. I seem to recall an incident in which Cook called the team together midway through the series to have a “clear the air” session, which KP did on his typically blunt way and was pretty critical of the coaches. Cook and Prior then went running to Flower and sowed the seeds of his dismissal.
That is terrible. Let’s clear the air but only if you stick to the party line. This set up is cowardly and delusional.
The story of this meeting depends on who you listen to though doesn’t it – there are stories that Pietersen was trying to turn everybody against Flower, There are stories about him whistling nonchalantly after getting out for next to nothing in Sydney.
The truth is that none of us who weren’t in the meeting knows what went on and all the interested parties are going to present their own versions – who’s lying?
Whatever you think of Andy Flower’s style, the fact is he presided over 3 ashes victories, and the first away victories in Australia and India since the 1980s. He lost just 3 series out of 18. That’s a phenomenal record, yet he seems to be getting blamed for everything that’s wrong with English cricket. This is the man that KP tried to get rid of along with Moores in 2008/2009
The problem I have with KP is that since his ill-fated stint as captain, there’s as much crap going on around him and his ongoing feuds as there is on the pitch – the second half of his career consists of brilliant innings interspersed with periods of rubbish and stupid dismissals.
If, in Australia, he had been scoring runs and leading the line, as far as I’m concerned he could be as blunt and obnoxious as he likes to the rest of the team. Instead he was getting out in brainless fashion when the team were in trouble. The greatest batsmen adapt their play to fit the situation
Everybody is shouting for Cook’s head because it’s 27 innings since his last century, but KP only scored 1 century in his last 27 – how is he going to come in and make this incredible difference?
Hamish,
I do not disagree with what you are saying about KP and maybe your reasons are sufficient for him to be dropped but if you are to apply those standards to him you must apply them to everyone. If those same standards had been applied how did Cook, Bell, Prior retain their places?
Quite right. Therein lies the rub. The ECB has not set out a level playing field. Depends upon whether your face fits or not. If you put all you eggs in one basket then the eggs start to break you have a damn fine mess to clear up. Well the ECB did just that and now find themselves with a massive mess on their hands. It is the ECB who only has its collective self to blame.
Hamish. I don’t think KP is the messiah. He wouldn’t necessarily be in my team now Ballance and Root are scoring runs. I would only have one senior batsman in the middle order, and there is as good a case for Bell as there is KP. I do agree with everyone here that the treatment of Pietersen reveals much about the nature of the ECB, but equally I’m keen to build a side for the Ashes next year. I’m not sure a 35 yr old batsman who relies on a declining eye (rather than a sound technique) would win the series for us.
In terms of editorial I’m half the blog, and I see it as my job to provide an a somewhat alternative view so things don’t get too repetitive. We want TFT to be a broad church.
I agree James, for all the ECB’s failings and let’s be honest the governing bodies of a few major sports (and football clubs) are certainly more corrupt, if being a ‘Boys Club’ is the biggest charge against them… I digress…
I think more or less the selectors have landed on the best 11 players (and coach) from who’s available in County Cricket, I think they have the best young players sided with the best senior players, who incidentally are not performing.
The one player who doesn’t fit this category is Liam Plunkett, a curious case, some would say his ‘face didn’t fit’ and his time had passed but few would argue with his inclusion this summer, sound selection I’d say.
That is just so right James. It is not about KP but about the “face” of the ECB that is unpalatable to say the least. There was an easy way to handle the issue of KP and a hard way. The ECB decided to go down the hard route and it has back-fired on them.
Interesting, that in all the 30 years plus that I have loved watching Test Cricket – win or lose – I never even knew a thing about the ECB. I didn’t know who was involved and who made what decision. Wasn’t really bothered. I think the issues I did take notice of was the Packer one and of course Basil D’Olivera (wasn’t interested in cricket at the time but didn’t like racism!”) I thought Gooch and others who went to South Africa were disgusting. In my view far worse than anything KP could try and conjure up.
Now I know most of them; Know their names and what they do: Know the journos who support them and those who are more willing to take a much closer view. Heard these morons speaking to the public as though we were all “traitors” to England cricket and not true “supporters!” Heard ex-cricketers such as Dilley, Corke, Gower – who surprises me given what he got up to – people forget about the long lasting enmity between him and Gooch; Mark Nicholas, and how can I possibly forget the miserable old git of cricket commentary, Bob Willis! All saying the same thing with the same wording?
What about this: “KP caused problems in every dressing room?”
Chris Tremlett: “From what I saw Kevin did nothing wrong, in my opinion, but be honest about what was happening,” Tremlett said, speaking at The Oval on his return from Surrey’s pre-season tour of South Africa. “Whether people want to accept that or not I’m not sure. There are obviously underlying things that were going on but Kevin’s a pretty honest character.”
Vaughan: Vaughan rant on Twitter, writing: “Sad way to end a mavericks England Career .@KP24 will be missed…Would love to know what he does that is unmanageable !!??
“I think the @ECB_cricket have to explain to everyone exactly what @KP24 has done so we can all have clarity and reasoning.
“I don’t buy the thought, Looking to the future. England have a T20 WC in 4 weeks.WC in 12 months. Ashes in 18 months. @KP24 should still play.
“IMO the Easy call is too get rid of @KP24. The hard call is too manage that type of Personality and accept it’s hard work but rewarding..
“Australia was in a similar position .. Changed Coach .. He managed players like @davidwarner31 @MitchJohnson398,Watson and @MClarke23 #fact
“I care about the England team and that’s why I want all the best players in the side. Its sad that we can’t manage someone like @KP24.”
Monty Panesar: Kevin Pietersen, if you believe all the media reports, was a disruptive and malignant influence in the dressing room and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could not afford to keep him in their plans as they “rebuild not only the team but also team ethic and philosophy”.
Monty Panesar knows a different Pietersen – a supremely confident individual who encouraged new comers to the team and urged them to believe in themselves.
“He helped me with my self-belief,” said the England left-arm spinner, who rolled his arm over for the Marylebone Cricket Club in the Emirates Twenty20 tournament at The Sevens on Friday.
“I remember when I first came into international cricket, I was a kind of a shy person and he used to be huge in confidence, so he used to be, ‘Believe in yourself, back yourself’. We obviously had a very good relationship together.”
“We are still good friends and who knows,” he said. “I hope he plays four-day cricket for Surrey and scores a lot of runs, and then sometimes these issues can be dissolved and you never know, he could come back and play for England and things could have a different note.”
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/sport/cricket/monty-panesar-still-hopeful-about-kevin-pietersen-comeback#ixzz38OeOunnL
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook.
Ian Bell
“I mean we’re never going to replace Kevin Pietersen. It would be very hard on any player coming in to say you’ve got to replace him. I don’t think we’re going to do that. He’s a one-off player in terms of world cricket.”
Much of Bell’s international career has run parallel to Pietersen — Bell’s debut in 2004 came only months before Pietersen’s. “So we played pretty much the same amount of time together. We’re completely different characters and have completely different batting styles but we complemented each other in the middle. I feel lucky to have played a career with him and really enjoyed it.” Even in Australia, where dressing room differences are said to have led to Pietersen’s sacking? Bell says categorically: “To be honest nothing really happened. I wasn’t aware of whatever happened behind closed doors — meetings and stuff. The reality is that we didn’t play very good cricket and Australia played their best cricket for a while.”
Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad told ECB bosses he wanted Kevin Pietersen in his squad for next month’s World Twenty20 tournament. But Broad, who skippers England in the shortest form of the game, was ignored by new ECB managing director Paul Downton and chairman of selectors James Whittaker. The T20 skipper and Pietersen also socialised regularly together in Australia and as England’s one-day coach Ashley Giles is also a long-term friend of Pietersen, the ECB’s supposedly unanimous decision on Tuesday that the batsman’s England career was over has left the player baffled.
Carberry
Carberry questioned Giles’ communication skills after approaching him for an explanation on his omission during the one-day series in Australia.”I had a brief chat with Ashley during the fifth ODI in Adelaide,” Carberry told The Guardian. “His response was that he didn’t really know. If you don’t know mate, I sure as hell won’t know.”
He hadn’t heard anything since, he added.
“Nothing – which is disappointing but it’s the way they tend to do things … I don’t think it’s me alone saying this sort of thing. There have been players before me and players now who have felt the same thing.”
Carberry said some “very strange” decisions had been made since the Ashes debacle.”(Pietersen) was a big surprise,” he said of his former Hampshire teammate’s omission. “Through the tour, certainly, Kev was very helpful to me. Over the years Kev, as one of the greats of the game, has always been very helpful in talking about the mental side. “In England’s position you want to retain that knowledge as much as you can. You hope he will still be around the county game for the benefit of the next generation.”
Jonny Bairstow
England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow has said that it is disappointing for him that he would not play again in the team with Kevin Pietersen, who was sacked following the team’s 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia in the winter. Bairstow said that Pietersen is a ‘fantastic’ player who could change a game on his own, adding that he is one of the best players in the world scene.
There are a whole load of others who have said very good things about KP but I am sure you no longer want to be bored with this stuff. Suffice to say that this is not one-dimensional: KP wrecks every dressing room, stuff.
Pietersen was rather more than peripheral – Mumbai, Galle, Headingley, Adelaide, and so on.
My point was not that Pietersen himself is the messiah – I have no idea whether he would have performed notably this summer, although there’s no reason he wouldn’t.
Instead, my view is that his sacking hamstrung the side because it was the completely wrong solution to the problem, and all the real issues have been left unaddressed.
Great views Maxie, I can clearly hear your frustrations, bordering on emotional, as an English cricket supporter.
Many might think that the Australians are rubbing theirs hands in glee as they watch this pantomime go from bewilderment to comical to downright disgraceful, but it wasn’t that long ago when Australia were in a similar situation. The difference is that Cricket Australia made some tough decisions, backed Clarke (who was scoring runs) and then faced up to whatever the critics threw at them. Wasn’t perfect initially, but once they had Lehman as the coach, the pieces were in place and everybody let cricket do the talking – we all know what happened next. In a very short period of time, Australia have gone from woeful to number one in both Test and ODI’s (they have never taken 20/20 that seriously).
So my point is that England will return to some level of acceptance, at the very least, but they need to face up and make the tough decisions. And given the state of English cricket at the moment, some very, very tough decisions are going to have to be made.
I ask you, what cricket nation would hang on to their captain, based on the current results? None. The jungle drums started beating in NZ, which were ignored, and that was the time when the ECB should of started planning ahead. Looking and thinking about post Swann, Prior, Anderson etc era.
I paid over £3000 for Sky subs, match tickets, merchandise and the odd plane fare to see England play cricket over the last 12mths. Whilst a refund is laughable, I wouldn’t mind some answers and theories from the ECB.
What are the chances of getting Downton or Giles Clarke in for an interview?
“What are the chances of getting Downton or Giles Clarke in for an interview?”
Higher with some journalists than others:
https://twitter.com/DamianReilly/status/478291072796598272/photo/1
Good grief. Any idea when this dates from?
Yes – the photograph was taken on the evening of the 14th July 2014. I also know who took it.
Sorry, typo 14th *June*
Who? And what were the circumstances?
Great post Doug. And seeing as you have spent a huge amount of money following England you deserve answers more than most. The ECB needs to be very careful antagonising their customers. (Especially as the ECB are so fond of money)
My starting point is this……. All teams can’t be the best all the time. Things go in cycles. But all teams should strive to be the best they can at any given time with what they have. I would pose this question ……Are we getting the best out of what we have? My answer is no.
Many thanks for your kind words, Doug. I would give my right arm to interview one of the terrible twins. But I somehow doubt I’ll get the chance.
Instead of dwelling on the past (yes the sacking of KP was wrong)
Or the present (Pro/Anti the current regime)
How about offering solutions on how we fix this? Where just do we go from here? What would this blog do after the India series, to ensure in the short term a good world cup and a hard fought ashes battle and then beyond?
Watch this space Neil …. You make a good point
‘we’ can’t fix this!!! – we are ‘outsiders’ – we have no business interfering with the machinations of the ECB – who are more correct than god in conducting affairs – you’re a bit of a troll aren’t you?????
Reg, in the last 2 days you’ve made 2 unpleasant comments towards me and yet you have the audacity to call me a troll.
Ironic – much?
He might have been being a little tongue in cheek.
Not nice Reg. There is absolutely no way that Neil is a Troll. No way. And I think he is right talking about concentrating on the future. But KP was mentioned in the article so KP is going to be talked about. I understand your frustration concerning us being referred to as “outsiders”. ECB were incredibly foolish to say that. However it has been said and as they are the “Insiders” then hopefully it will be their heads that will roll in due course. Sooner the better. We need real cricket people at the helm instead of the dipsticks they have now. Don’t be unkind to Neil as he is a good egg.
Thanks Annie :-)
I think you’ll find there are plenty of people offering solutions, especially if you read BTL on the Guardian, whether you agree with them or not.
First we need to know what the objectives are for the England team, i.e. should we immediately slap into place the “new” team and march forward with them or should we aim at having the right team settled in about 2 years time and not worry about results in the meantime.
I’m in favour of the latter idea. I’d like to see them try out people like Hales, Vince, Taylor and maybe, in a year’s time, Kerrigan, Buttler when they have developed their skills more. To do that, we really need a solid, strong, dependable leader and that isn’t Cook. I’m certainly in favour of appointing a proven captain like Read for the time being, while we wait for the future captain, and that does give us a keeper who can catch now, rather than rush forward Buttler on the strength of his being able to swing a bat hard and hoping he gets the hang of the catching bit soon.
Neil,
I’m never keen on the “you all moan what’s wrong, what will you do to fix it” thing. I can look at a building falling down, know there’s something fundamentally wrong, but I can’t build another one in its place.
To me the current malaise stems from the Buttler Syndrome. I know of few other teams who would have seen that innings at Lord’s, more for the temperament and cool head than the ability to string magnificent shots together, would have a first reaction the following few days by the top boys in management telling us what he can’t do. Now, two months later than it should have, we’ll see. Don’t fear talent.
The second is prepare to make mistakes. No-one is infallible. I don’t like 1,2 and 3 being the same kind of player. One of them has to be able to hit it off the square regularly. I’m nowhere near convinced by Robson, more technically than with the temperament. I’m a chancer, I’d like to see if Alex Hales comes off, in much the same way Australia did with Warner, and India with Sehwag. If it doesn’t work, well we tried.
Ian Bell coming back to form would be handy.
KP is gone. I know that and don’t pine for his return, 1. He’s been out of the game for six months. T20 isn’t cricket to get you attuned for tests if that is all you are playing. 2. He’d fail, and the fall-out would be ridiculous. 3. It’s poisonous as it. It will be worse with him back. 4. Cue ongoing circus. No, as big a fan as I am, he’s not the answer to anything now. Bridges have been well and truly burned.
Keeper – Buttler. If not identify a young one with the gloves and who can bat and see where we go. I’m not a fan of Read or Foster coming into the team unless it is scoring runs in the top order.
I don’t see enough county cricket, but take yesterday at Guildford. I think there might have been 8 overs tops of spin all day on a dry dusty surface. Adam Riley, Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari. Zafar came over to speak to some lads when at mid-wicket and said “it might be dry, but there’s nothing at all in it for us spinners”. We wonder why spin is a dying art?
Pace – Not seen enough. I saw Meaker yesterday look really impressive, but then I’ve also seen him bowl a load of old shite and he’s been out of the team. Give me the money and the time and I’ll look around the country for you to see a good bowler or two!
There’s some ideas. But
I don’t pretend there are solutions (it terminated early, the piece above). I think the way the new people have taken to test shows we shouldn’t fear giving the best of them a go.
Captain. Pick your best XI and then see where the land lies. Cook isn’t in our best XI at the moment on this form, he can’t be. Thus what is keeping him in the team is the fact he is captain. Think about that for a minute.
You’re absolutely right to bring solutions into the equation. I’m afraid I’m better myself at picking holes than fixing things!
On the micro level we could do with a coach who can inspire and galvanise, not just tinker on Microsoft Excel.
On the very broad macro level, we need state school children to have sustained access to cricket, both on TV and real life.
The fact that the last two test batsmen before Moeen to come from state school backgrounds were Ravi Bopara and Paul Collingwood (yes, as far back as that) says it all.
1. Sack the ECB – remove all of them, the Director, the CEO all the admin staff, the ‘feedback’ writers, the cleaners, the lot
2. Get rid of Central Contracts
3. Sack Alastair Cook
4. Get the Demolition men into Lords and completely ‘gut’ the place. Start rebuilding on same site the new Prison for Offenders Against Cricket – lock up all the ECB, Lords Members who spend all day asleep on their benches, all media cronies and sycophants. all tv and radio pundits including former cricketers who assume the public are idiots.
5. Throw away prison key.
6. Have a holiday
Sorry Jobs but I just had to laugh at your post. Just the very thought of it made me giggle. Not half a bad idea though! At least that’s one laugh I’ve had today.
Many thanks to all of you for joining the debate. We really appreciate it. Sorry I’ve not been able to reply to every single comment – been very busy in the day job over recent days!
Thanks Maxie and James for a wonderful blog whereby we can have our say without the ECB world raining terror down upon us all.
Have you seen this: Very scathing, but on the money.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/763425.html
Many thanks, Annie.
Here is another piece that is worth a read: http://paddyssportsview.blogspot.com.es/2014/07/its-not-kevin-pietersen-who-changeda.html Paddy takes a very different angle on the KP saga. It’s very good I think.
Hamish – many thanks for all your comments. It’s great to have you with us on TFT.
However, I hope you don’t mind if I address a few of the points you made about Kevin Pietersen, Although this post was originally not meant to be about him as an individual, I can’t help but feel you’ve cited some mythology about him which does not stand up to close scrutiny.
“He has managed to alienate just about everybody inside England Cricket, including team-mates, coaches and management”.
But who? He fell out with Flower, and towards the end, Strauss. But who’s to say those conflicts were entirely Pietersen’s fault?
Who else did he alienate? An awful lot of people are on record as saying they had a good or at least neutral relationship with him. I collated the key quotes here:
https://www.thefulltoss.com/england-cricket-blog/paul-downton-speaks-kp-fights-back/
Pietersen had very good relationships with Michael Vaughan, Ashley Giles (as player and coach), Steve Harmison, and many more.
Plenty of other cricketers have alienated each other. In what way is Pietersen a stand-out figure in that respect?
“Twitter outbursts”.
Which one do you mean – the Nick Knight one?
“Sending derogatory texts to opposition players about your captain”.
Pietersen denied sending derogatory texts about Strauss, and the ECB accepted his denial. No journalist or administrator has ever seen those texts (which were in fact BlackBerry instant messages).
“Releasing mealy-mouthed, self-serving youtube videos about your commitment”.
What harm did that YT video do? You also have to look at it from Pietersen’s point of view. In that summer of 2012 the ECB had been repeatedly leaking and briefing against him, They made claims, via the press, about his contractual demands. They failed to take seriously his dislike of the KPGenius Tweets emanating from his own dressing room. And ridiculously, they fined him for the Nick Knight Tweet.
Pietersen could be forgiven for a degree of paranoia and feelings of isolation.
“I think Strauss got it right – there was a complete absence of trust (probably on both sides)”.
It was unadmirable of Strauss to accuse Pietersen of breaching trust without saying what that meant. Perhaps he only meant the texts? Perhaps he is misconceived about the texts?
If he only meant the texts, he’s guilty of blowing things hugely out of proportion. Was it *really* that big a deal, sending a few moany texts to a mate in another team? Has no one else in the history of cricket ever done anything like that? Can you imagine another test nation responding to an unproven allegation in such a hysterical manner.
“Flower had it in for KP, why did he not get rid of him after the texting saga. Flower had a perfect opportunity and would have had the sympathy of many, because it was a moronic act that undermined the team in the middle of a key series. Yet KP was brought back”.
They couldn’t get rid of Pietersen because they had little on him beyond an admission of “provocative” texts. Provocative texts are hardly a reason to ban a player for life. They were just seized upon by those who already disliked him. If Prior or Broad had been caught sending a “provocative” text, would they have been banned for life?
Did those texts really undermine the team? How? Are you suggesting that at the 2012 Lord’s test the eleven England players all batted and bowled worse than normal because unnamed South Africans had made claims about what Pietersen said in some texts? In the event, England came close to winning the match. The series was in effect lost in the first test, before the text claims.
Piers Morgan: his role in the debate does not affect any aspect of the case for or against Pietersen. He is as entitled to his view as anyone else. He doesn’t say anything which many others don’t; he’s just more famous, and irritates some.
The texts have come to be seen as the greatest act of betrayal in English cricket history. By comparison, in early 1982 Graham Gooch abandoned England for three years to earn apartheid rand in South Africa. He was brought back into the fold, and the establishment, at the very first opportunity.
Such a brilliant piece & brilliant comment. I too cannot understand why Pietersen has been so abused. Awkward customer? Yes. Maverick? Undoubtedly. But such a very bad person? Complex and oh so talented. Vaughan understood him and got alongside him and mentored him. Arrogant? I don’t think so. More having confidence on the outside and vulnerable inside. The idea that whatever he has done is worse that those cricketers who sold out their country and left England and the team to make money? I thought then and still think that was the ultimate betrayal of England. Whatever pietersen may or may not have done pales into insignificant to that betrayal. If I were in KPs camp I should bring that nugget in his book. Such hypocrites. Unbelievable.
Players from England Cricket who joined this tour: Graham Gooch in 1982, and it included stalwarts like Geoff Boycott, Dennis Amiss, Bob Woolmer, Allan Knott, Chris Old, John Lever, Derek Underwood and Peter Willey.
Later tours: Mike Gatting, Chris Broad, Bill Athey, Tim Robinson, John Emburey, Richard Ellison, Neil Foster!
Now some of these cricketers have the nerve to make allegations about KP? Unbelievable hypocrites. Graham Gooch(England batting coach) and Mike Gatting (President of MCC). So does that mean you really do have to be ENGLISH to be forgiven?
I doubt whether I can add much to this debate that hasn’t been said already; but as we are looking at one of the most catastrophically bad sagas of management in sporting history I am reminded of one of the best comments I know about bad management.
‘I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of “Admin.” The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern.’
I hasten to add that this was not written about the ECB in 2014: it was written by C.S. Lewis over 70 years ago. But if the cap fits …