PIETERSEN - WE MUST SORT THIS MESS OUT NOW

England in crisis as captain and coach fall out

RIFT - England skipper Kevin Pietersen (right) and coach Peter Moores

By ADAM HATHAWAY, 03/01/2009

KEVIN PIETERSEN last night insisted the rift between him and England coach Peter Moores MUST

be sorted within the next week.

Pietersen broke off from his holiday in South Africa yesterday to hold emergency talks with managing director Hugh Morris as the crisis that has engulfed the team heightened.

Morris also met with Moores in an attempt to broker some kind of peace but that now seems impossible with the breakdown between captain and coach complete.

Sack

Pietersen will stop short of demanding the ECB sack Moores but made his position perfectly clear to Morris. There has been a complete breakdown in what was an already fraught relationship, with Pietersen believing he has the absolute backing of the England players.

The ECB will make no decision until Morris reports back but there seems little prospect of Pietersen and Moores being able to work together on England's tour of the West Indies.

Pietersen said: "Obviously this situation is not healthy, we have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before we fly off to the West Indies.

"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."

Decision

Sport of the World understands the row was NOT fuelled by the exclusion of Michael Vaughan from the Caribbean touring party.

Even though Pietersen is close to the former England captain, he accepted the decision based on Vaughan's form and the fact the selectors wanted to stay loyal to those players who had performed well in India.

The breaking point in the relationship between Pietersen and Moores was reached BEFORE the squad was announced.

There is no doubt the controversial tour of India strengthened Pietersen's position and there was a widespread admiration at the way he led from the front at a time of crisis.

Turmoil

The decision the ECB have to take within the next few days is whether they want to alienate the England dressing room by backing Moores or risk turmoil behind the scenes by siding with Pietersen.

Moores believes he is in a strong position legally and would push for the full compensation on his rolling one-year deal if he is sacked, which could cost the ECB around £250,000.

There is also the prospect of having to find a new coach for the tour to the West Indies with just days left before England fly out.

There have been growing reports of dressing-room unrest as Moores tries to impose his ideas on a squad who have been unimpressed by what one source claimed was his 'sound-bite' methods.

Bust-up

Players who had become accustomed to Duncan Fletcher's minute attention to detail and planning are underwhelmed by Moores and his apparent inability to inject fresh ideas.

When Pietersen accepted the captaincy there was a feeling it was only a matter of time before he had a bust-up with Moores.

And even though both men came away from an initial meeting talking positively about the future, there was no way they could paper over the cracks of a disintegrating relationship.

An England dressing-room source said: "There is no way Pietersen and Moores can work together, they're just too far apart.

Fracture

"The ECB are caught in the middle of this and are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

"If they back KP, then there's massive problems among the backroom staff. But if they go with the coach, then the best player becomes disillusioned, they possibly lose a captain and there is a huge fracture."

Morris will report back after more talks with both sides, possibly before Pietersen returns from his break on Thursday.

But by the time he lands in England, he will want a clear idea of the situation - and whether he can continue as captain.

Your comments

This article has 24 comments

Good riddance to a poor captain..too self centered..technically weak as a batsman..one of our most over-rated sports stars. Moores may not be the best coach but you can't have an upstart like Pietersen dictating to the authorities.
Results are now secondary to restoring proper order. And its time for new players in the team anyway. We need a disciplinariuan in charge, either a coach or a team manager. Strauss will do a good job. If Pietersen fails with the bat drop him.

By Philip Hoare.. Posted January 9 2009 at 8:23 AM.

Aww the irony, wasnt Andrew Strauss born in South Africa?!

By P.. Posted January 8 2009 at 9:06 PM.

Pietersen's behaviour is reminisient of Brian Lara's. My way or the highway. Lara like Pietersen was all for himself... These boys seem to forget that cricket is a team sport.

By Joe Singh.. Posted January 8 2009 at 8:00 PM.

Let's FACE it...KP is a supreme plonker! Wake-up PPL and see what he is truly....he is NOT English, a Saffer through and through(but they even dislike him!); a modern day mercenary with a ego greater than Max Mosley's annual 'recreation' bill.

I struggle to comprehend how a player can now dictate the coach; been in charge for a worthless ODI vs SA, lost ODI 5-0 to India, lost Test Series.....???
ALL the coaches fault ? do not think so....imagine "the chosen one" and "red-nose" will be rolling on the floor......
Now KP wants to bring in his own "Ford"...reckon it will just be a 'Mini'-(me)...Maybe we should make Graeme Smith a offer...least he has done something - beat the Ozzie's in their own backyard.

By Colin.. Posted January 5 2009 at 12:49 PM.

My apologies - I meant Keith Fletcher - spot on with your views.

Dennis Hart - I agree with the last sentence of your entry.

By Peter.. Posted January 5 2009 at 12:25 AM.

Dennis Hart - you are so spot on. I didnt know Pietersen is now in charge of the ECB as well. KP - do England a favor and worry about winning some test matches and get prepared for the Ashes. You havent earned such lofty status yet anyway.

By Peter.. Posted January 5 2009 at 12:23 AM.

A great captain manages to get the best out of his players, KP has not been able to do this, I am not sure if he is interested in this. Giving in to KP will set a precedent, a dangerous precedent. I was never a fan of Ray Illingworth but I know that KP would not win if I was the coach. This smacks of KP bullying his way through a guy who doesn't have the 'profile'. The ECB appointed Moores and they must carry the can if Moores was the wrong appointment.
I just know that with Strauss as captain, England would have won more matches, KP would have ore runs, Monty would have taken more wickets and this impasse with the coach would have never happened. But the ECB has signed up to the cricket circus and KP is one of the ringmasters so they will capitulate.

By David.. Posted January 4 2009 at 7:55 PM.

No surprise about this fall-out. Pietersen is a spoilt brat who throws his toys out of his pram if he doesn't get his own way. Couldn't get on in Soth Africa, couldn't get on at Nottingham , now can't get on with Moores. Why did an arrogant Saffer get appointed as England captain. Shame.

By Keith Fletcher.. Posted January 4 2009 at 6:58 PM.

Not the first time and won't be last time that KP
is envolved in disagreements with coaches or captains.It's 'his way or the highway',typical,and the wrong choice as captain.Great player,but he's
unable to manage up and down.Let him get on with his batting and scoring runs,something he excells at!

By Dennis Hart.. Posted January 4 2009 at 4:51 PM.

Mark Davies: How can you say KP isn't English when he has an English mum?

By Josh.. Posted January 4 2009 at 10:57 AM.

Kevin Pieterson has an ENGLISH mother and English grandparents, great grand-parents etc. That seems a perfect, automatic and undeniable method of being English to me. Blood is far thicker than water and the bloke is English and South African. Not only South African or only English. Almunia is Spanish, has no English parents, family or blood relations. He's a foreigner who plays for Arsenal - where's the comparison?

By Steve Jacks.. Posted January 4 2009 at 1:56 PM.

Re: Mark Davies

Slight difference: Manuel Almunia has no English parents unlike KP whose Mother is English. Kp also came to England to play cricket for England where as Almunia came to England to play football for Arsenal.

By Paul.. Posted January 4 2009 at 12:52 PM.

Mark Davies - Pietersen's Mum is English, which makes him quite a lot different to Almunia. He also seems to play for England with a lot more pride and effort than many of the current crop.

Essentially Moores was a whitewash appointment, there was no clear process for appointing the successor to Fletcher. He is obviously not achieving anything and should go, together with the selectors and others at the ECB who are ruining the game - take the cave-in on the EPL for instance.

By Alex.. Posted January 4 2009 at 12:52 PM.

Come on ECB show some mettle get
Fletcher back SAP.
Don't know what input Duncan has had on the South African, but are now the number one Test Team, he has been working for them as an advisor
woodywood

By Wilfred Woodhouse.. Posted January 4 2009 at 10:21 AM.

KP is not even English.

What is the difference between him and Manuel Almunia playing football for England?

By Mark Davies.. Posted January 4 2009 at 9:38 AM.

I never believed from day 1 that Moores was the answer. We have a strong captain on the same standing as Ponting, what he needs now is a management team on the same lines as Australia, because we have the players. But are still reliant on Petersen and Flintoff. Without these 2 we would be no better than the average county side.

By Brian Wilkinson.. Posted January 4 2009 at 9:16 AM.

Pieterson as captain was the worst choice that could possibly have been made, Strauss, Cook or Prior would have been a million times better, KP plays for and talks about KP he is not a "England" man. Look at the current team, how many would get into a world's best 11, I would not pick KP even, our quick bowlers except for Flintoff are finished, we have nobody who can bowl 150+kph, beat the Aussies no chance, but it would improve a hundred fold with an "England Team man" at the helm, that is where Vaughan was great, when others played good he was happy, KP is happy only when KP plays good and that is not so often these days, just the odd flash in the pan days.

By Dorian Nunn.. Posted January 4 2009 at 8:40 AM.

Lets face it. KP will get what he wants. He is the most self centre Captain. Always about him. Why was straussy not given the Captain I dont know but we will see the future of england cricket with KP in charge......Brian Lara and the WI....KP and Eng

By Jemma.. Posted January 4 2009 at 8:51 AM.

By Jemma.. Posted January 4 2009 at 8:50 AM.

I have always thought that KP had too much ego to be captain. Does he really get the best out of the players? Look at Monty for example, what has K done to/for him?
As for the 'brave' decision to return to India for the test series. This may have been influenced by the pending IPL series.
The captaincy should have gone to Strausss since the last ashes series but I reckon he is being made to pay for being an Oxbridge boy.

By David.. Posted January 4 2009 at 6:49 AM.

I agree with you Cecil, the ECB will be setting out a dangerous precedent should they bow to the presuure of what is reported. The should focus on solving the problem rather than backing one of the 2 fellows. I do not believe it is the mandate of the Captain to demand changes to the coaching staff, he should influence the selection process, yes and focus on honing the Captaincy skills so lacking in India. Pietersen is a great player for England but his focus on the 'self' may not be good for a Captain.

By Lebo.. Posted January 4 2009 at 4:24 AM.

There seems to turmoil in all of these teams except India. Now that the West Indies are heading north in the ratings, it is important for England to be tested with their best material.

By Cecil Archer.. Posted January 4 2009 at 2:54 AM.

I'm sure the ECB will capitulate to Pietersen because that's what gutless organizations do. It's never the players fault or the captain's fault. They always have to blame it on someone if they lose and they have no problem taking the credit when they win. Other then New Zealand - they have proved nothing against South Africa (right now unofficially the best in the world) at home and away to India. God forbid the ECB want to upset their Golden Boy. What a joke!

By Peter.. Posted January 4 2009 at 2:20 AM.

Its good to hear that the row between the two was not caused by Vaughan's ommission because the decision to omit Vaughan was 100% correct-he hasnt be up to test standard since 2005.End of.

By cam.. Posted January 4 2009 at 12:37 AM.

We have to check every comment before we can allow it to be published. But don't worry, we've got a team on it 24/7 - so check back soon! Please note that we cannot publish all comments received. The editor's decision is final. Please note that your email address will not be displayed next to your comment.