Former England captains want Pietersen axe explained
PRESSURE grew on the England and Wales Cricket Board last night to come clean over the exact reasons for the termination of batsman Kevin Pietersen’s international career this week.
Former England captains Sir Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain joined calls for a full explanation from new ECB managing director Paul Downton, unsatisfied with his statement that it was “time to look to the future” and “rebuild the team ethic and philosophy”.
On a day of high tension, wicketkeeper Matt Prior also hit back at claims from broadcaster Piers Morgan that he had “stabbed Pietersen in the back” and criticised former team director Andy Flower’s leadership style in a team meeting during the recent Ashes series whitewash.
Pietersen is England’s leading run-scorer in international cricket, having amassed 13,797 runs in 104 Test matches and 173 limited-overs games. His ability at the crease has scarcely been in doubt, but a string of off-field controversies have blighted his nine years with England and he has been portrayed by some as a disruptive influence.
But Botham said: “He is one of the best cricketers this country has ever had and his career has been terminated, why not tell us why? I do believe the ECB need to come out and lay their cards on the table, explain their decision – the cricketing public deserve that.”
Pietersen’s tenure as England captain in 2008 lasted for just three Test matches before he resigned from his post following a row with then-team director Peter Moores.
The 33-year-old was also axed mid-series when England played South Africa in 2012 after he sent text messages to the opposition criticising his team-mates, including captain Andrew Strauss.
Yet Vaughan added he “would love to know what he [Pietersen] does that is unmanageable” and that the decision should have been left to England’s new team director, once a successor to Flower is in place.
England begin life without Pietersen when the squad for next month’s World Twenty20 challenge in Bangladesh is named today.
And Hussain said: “It’s a bold move when you go without one of your best players, so there must have been things that were happening behind the scenes.
“It would be nice to know from the ECB what those things were. Some people believe in cutting out the virus and moving on, others just say ‘man-manage your best players’. There is no easy solution.”
Prior, meanwhile, was furious at claims from Morgan that he betrayed Pietersen and told his team-mates: “Flower’s behaving like a headmaster. F*** Flower. This is our team.”
In a series of Twitter messages Prior wrote: “I refuse to be attacked by a bloke [Morgan] that knows very little about what goes on in the England setup apart from rumour, gossip and hearsay.
“Flower, Cook and the rest of my team-mates know exactly what I said and the way it was meant.”