So the applications are in. The runners and riders have been announced. The race to be England’s new head coach in all formats of the game is on. As the ECB are incredibly wealthy – with the power to attract almost any coach in the world – you’d expect a start-studded shortlist full of big names with CV’s longer than Ryan Sidebottom’s hair. It makes sense too, right. Because the ECB are about as popular with the English cricketing public as dysentery at Glastonbury, surely they’ll appease us...
Flower puts England’s limited overs teams in the Wheelie Bin
‘The King of Spain’ is taking over as England’s ODI and T20 coach From the moment he gave up playing professional cricket, Ashley Giles has wanted to be England’s head coach. He did everything he needed to do. He cuddled up to the right people at the ECB and was almost immediately made a national selector. Now he’s been made England’s permanent ODI and T20 coach. So it’s pats on the back all round then? Well, forgive me if I don’t join the celebrations. Giles’ promotion is a...
How to annoy Kevin Pietersen, by Geoff Miller
The South African crowds turned their back on him when he scored his maiden ODI century; Yuvraj Singh had the audacity to get him out several times with ‘left arm filth’; and the Aussies called him ‘FIGJAM’ (F*** me I’m good just ask me). But nothing – I repeat, nothing – must annoy KP more than the England selectors. After heroically leading the team to India after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, Pietersen looked like the model captain. In his last test on home soil, he scored a century against...
If cricket was football, part two
Radio phone-in shows were jammed with irate Aussies yesterday as it emerged that Peter Moores is the leading candidate to become Australia’s new director of cricket. Moores, the former England coach and all round pommie b**t**d, has today flown to Christchurch to be interviewed by Andrew Hilditch. The talks were initially scheduled to take place in Melbourne, but after angry Aussies spray-painted ‘no English scum’ onto the MCG outfield, it became apparent that Christchurch would be a much safer...
KP goes back for Moores
If there’s an elephant in the room, don’t expect Kevin Pietersen to ignore it. He’s more likely to pull its trunk and cause a stampede. Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower have been getting a lot of praise since England retained the Ashes. So much so that many people have forgotten the circumstances in which they were appointed. KP isn’t one of them though – and yesterday he relished the opportunity to remind everyone that England wouldn’t have been so successful if Peter Moores was still England...
