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England in crisis
Moores on the brink after row
Cricinfo staff
January 5, 2009
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Peter Moores could be sacked by the ECB before the end of the week, with his position as England coach becoming untenable in the wake of his public falling-out with the captain, Kevin Pietersen.
Hugh Morris, the ECB's director of England Cricket and a close friend of Moores, has stepped in to mediate in the row, although the final decision on Moores' position will be taken by David Collier, the chief executive of the ECB. The die, however, is already cast for a coach who took over from Duncan Fletcher barely 18 months ago, but whose record of eight wins from 22 Tests - seven of those against the lowly-ranked West Indies and New Zealand - does not stand up to scrutiny.
According to Nasser Hussain, who understands dressing-room politics better than most after his experiences as England captain between 1999 and 2003, Moores has to go because he is in a no-win situation. "If you are asking me who is more important, Kevin Pietersen or Peter Moores, then there is only one winner and that's Kevin Pietersen," Hussain told Sky Sports. "That's what he knows and that's why he's probably flexing his muscles.
"Somehow Hugh Morris has to calm this situation down otherwise it looks like Moores might have to go. I feel sorry for the bloke because he deserves time and if he doesn't do well then the ECB make the decision."
The England squad is due to fly out to the Caribbean on January 21, to begin their four-Test series against West Indies, leaving the team management barely a fortnight either to iron out the differences or, more probably, to identify a short-term replacement. Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's director of cricket and an England selector, has been touted as a possible stand-in, although his lack of coaching experience makes him a doubtful candidate for the permanent role, especially with an Ashes series now only six months away.
Pietersen is currently away on holiday in Africa - and it was his apparent absence from the discussions that led to Michael Vaughan's omission from the West Indies squad that escalated the current row. He did, however, offer his thoughts in his News of the World column, describing the situation as "not healthy".
"We have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before we fly off to the West Indies," said Pietersen. "Everything has to be hunky dory, everybody has to have the same aims and pull in the same direction for the good of the England team."
If Moores does go, and his dismissal could cost the ECB up to £250,000, then the fall-out could extend beyond the immediate stand-off between him and Pietersen. His modus operandi was to build an umbrella of support - from the batting coach, Andy Flower, through Ottis Gibson the bowling coach to Richard Halsall the recently installed fielding coach. It remains to be seen how many of the backroom staff would be willing to continue in such a disaffected environment.
Then, of course, there will be the effect on the players themselves. Moores' methods were described by one team member as "in your face", and he may not be missed by the entire set-up. Andrew Flintoff, however, is one significant player who is understood to be content with his relationship with the coach - and he is a man whom Pietersen can't afford to alienate in the dressing-room.
Hussain, however, believes that when push comes to shove in the dressing-room, there's only one way the opinion of the team will fall.
"It's absolutely not ideal in an Ashes year for the public to know the captain and the coach are not gelling, and not getting on, but more importantly the players now know," he told Sky Sports. "There have been some doubts in the last year or so over whether Pietersen and Moores clash in terms of personalities - they are two entirely different people.
"Pietersen is outgoing, single-minded; Moores is much more measured, diplomatic. But now the players know that and at any meeting, whether it be before the Ashes or before the West Indies, when Moores speaks the players will be thinking, 'KP doesn't buy into this, or KP thinks this is a load of rubbish. Who are we going to listen to?' "
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I feel sorry for Moores. KP is in the wrong for going public and no player should ever be able to dictate to a board who is coach, however history is littered with examples of gutless administrators who foolishly support the player in fear that they will spit the dummy and stop playing, or go play somewhere else. Moores will probably be sacked because its easier to remove him than risk KP quiting the team in protest and going to earn bucketloads of cash in India.........Then again while he will probably earn a lot of Money in India we will see if he is really worth as much as he thinks he is worth at the next IPL Auction. Hopefully the administrators don't let this cloud their vision and they tell him to pull his head in and do his job. The other thing to remember is History also shows the best player in a team isn't always the best captain!!!!
Posted by r1m2 on (January 07 2009, 00:18 AM GMT)I think before the coach or the captain the Vaughan issue needs to be sorted out. WHY the heck is Vaughan still lurking in the shadows? He is no longer needed or can do any good for England. Now it is time to get a little agitated at Vaughan's presence. The biggest mistake English selectors made was to offer Vaughan the contract he did not deserve. I wish I could get a job like that, "look lad, you've done great in the past, so now we'll just pay you for doing nothing". KP needs to be told to shut it. No more Vaughan. Moores will be the coach. Take it or leave it. Such egotistical personalities are not good for England at this time.
Posted by zaidkhansm on (January 06 2009, 21:25 PM GMT)I think a similar situation albeit far from this bad occured between then newly appointed SA captain Graeme Smith and stand in coach Ray Jennings. Jennings ended up going. I'm sure Moores would have made a fantastic impact given sufficient time and support from his captain and players. But he has to go. I'm not a big fan of KP's attituide, but I think he's a great cricketer and I respect the fact that his trying to mould the team as he sees fit. One can only hope this will result in a successful period for England and world cricket.
Posted by Paul_JT on (January 06 2009, 20:30 PM GMT)We don't know whether Pietersen's views are shared with the rest of the team or if it is his ego alone. What is clear is that the situation is damaging for English cricket. It is looking increasingly likely as if the best option would be for Pietersen (as Captain) and Moores to be removed from their positions. Andrew Strauss and Ashley Giles (at least in the short-term) will have to step in. A new coach can then be appointed after a full process.
Posted by Merri on (January 06 2009, 17:33 PM GMT)As strange as can be, I disagree both with those who support Pietersen and those who support Moores. It's not a matter of knowing who's the first on the honour list and who's more precious to the team or whether Vaughan would be the right man. It's only a matter of answering the following question : do selectors have to consult the captain on borderline selection cases ? If it is, then you know who's right; if it isn't, then you also know. And, more important, we may begin to play down the whole story. Now, if the answer is 'don't know', then selection procedures need to be thought about. By the way, what's the answer ?
Posted by gdavis on (January 06 2009, 14:31 PM GMT)The coach is the position that must be held in high esteem, KP must go. If KP's side is taken by the board, other than causing a lot of future problems there is also no reeling in his ego. He must realise that he has to report to the coach and by taking KP's side the board is setting a bad foundation for future coaches, and captains for that matter. The coach is ultimately responsible for the success of a side and if he fails then fire him, however don't get rid of the coach for the sake of the captain.
Posted by Spawn12 on (January 06 2009, 13:54 PM GMT)Personally i think making KP the captain was possibly the most stupidest and dumbest thing England could have done. Sure hes a good batsman but as a captain??...he hasnt got any experience of being captain and from what i see and have seen in the recent England games...hes absolutely clueless. My other issue is that he is not even British, ok he has a british passport now but i tend to be of the belief that the captain should be a british national. You dont see the Aussies make a player, that was born in another country their captain even though he has an australian passport. Its a joke, a complete and utter joke that he was made captain. Personally i dont like the guy, KP that is, find him an arrogant so and so. In my opinion, this row puts him in a bad light just because his old mate Vaughn wasnt considered for the WI trip, so he now thinks he can get his coach sacked. I hope the WI and the Aussies hand England a right good thrashing this yr. Maybe then the ECB will wake up.
Posted by rohanbala on (January 06 2009, 12:04 PM GMT)The ECB should not sack the Coach just to satisfy the England captain. However, if it is felt that the desired results are not forthcoming, the ECB could think of replacing the Coach.. at the same time, the captain should also be warned of a likely action. If the ECB agrees to bring in Michael Vaughan at the behest of Kevin, it would be a very bad example, as Michael has seen more days off the field than on it.
Posted by jaross on (January 06 2009, 11:51 AM GMT)Peter Moores is an oustanding Coach, and an outstanding bloke. You cannot have Captains holding guns to heads...........where does it all end?.............and what a dreadful message and example this is setting........KP's behavoiur...........if we believe what is alleged in the media is unacceptable..........more akin to football, and we do NOT want to go down that road. Had Strauss been appointed as Captain in Australia.........we may never have been in the position we find ourselves now.......if only!!! SANDY ROSS
Posted by Interp on (January 06 2009, 11:06 AM GMT)This is a sad day. At the end of it all it weakens English cricket. Kevin Pietersen is a fantastic player and as a fan he is a delight to watch when in full flight. In the squabble, I support him. However, both parties must realise that at the end of the day there are no winners. Furthermore, I am disappointed at the timing of this fall especially since England are due to tour the West Indies. You see I do not want the English to blame their defeat at the hands of the West Indies on their internal squabbles rather than the resurgency of a youthful West Indian team.