Sunday, February 09, 2014

My response in the Telegraph Blog to Scyld Berry's piece on latest ECB explanation for Pietersen sacking.

Truly deplorable from the ECB. Evidence now firm, including the testimony of Graeme Swann, that KP's attitude was fine on tour. The 2012 Incidents were put behind everyone, Pietersen apologised and worked hard on his return. This is an outrageous settling of old scores by people who couldn't manage a paper round. Although I don't believe it some are saying that KP has been jettisoned to clear the way for Peter Moores to return as coach. I don't believe that because I'm sure Ashley Giles has got the job. But should the Moores rumours be true ECB's behaviour is even more squalid than it seems.

Giles Clarke takes all the key decisions at the ECB. Ironically he was the prime mover in getting Pietersen back into the team after his 2012 dreadful texting behaviour. It seems that Clarke has repaid KP's subsequent good behaviour by agreeing to his sacking. It is inconceivable that new men Whittaker and Downton were empowered to take this decision - it was certainly Clarke's. As always David Collier the generously remunerated CEO of the ECB has kept his head down. The invisible man. The ECB management is revealed to be as dysfunctional as they are incompetent. And at the bottom of the pile of stakeholders are the cricket-loving public who on top of having to pay the highest ticket prices in the world (by far) and having ZERO live cricket on free-to-air TV now after a cataclysmic Ashes tour see England's top batsman discarded for no good reason.

No comments: