England’s dreams went form being wintry to sultry. As rifts between skipper and coach grew more prominently in the public eye, it appears now that instead of single blow, the ECB was planning a double blow. Perhaps then to soften the pain, Kevin Pietersen is said to have tendered his resignation.
Hugh Morris was supposed to mediate between England captain Kevin Pietersen and England coach Peter Moores. But their increasingly growing fall out has forced the ECB to set up a twelve member tele conference in which the overwhelming feeling suggested that perhaps Moores would have to go because too much damage had been done but also, that Pietersen could no longer stay having adopted such a hard line approach so publicly and so early into his captaincy career.
While earlier it was believed that Moores would be the natural person to be axed given cricket’s predominance for captains, it is said that Pietersen’s overt comments about the coach and the team have not gone down well with the authority and England could see the change of guard on both counts.
The back staff are apparently feeling empathetic for Moores who they believe has not done much wrong. The players themselves, who earlier appeared to side with the skipper perhaps out of a feeling that they should not antagonize him, are now feeling that it would be hard to work with a skipper who is setting benchmarks for everyone and literally dictating how it should pan out.
Either way, once again Pietersen is in a situation that is not unfamiliar to him. He was a hostile member of the England party when England toured South Africa. England crowds needed convincing he had England running in his blood, not native South Africa. There were doubts of his larger than life persona fitting into a team set up. Then there were doubts about how his personality would contend in a situation where he is the captain and he has a coach who is dramatically opposite to him. The evidence is all on the table and it appears as big a blow as this would be for England, the ECB is in an unforgiving mood.
Will England now go to the West Indies and visit the Caribbean in less than three weeks’ time with a new coach and captain? They have already had one fiasco with the Stanford Super Series. There is not much face to save anyway.
