Post by Natty on Jan 7, 2009 10:08:23 GMT -1
England captain Kevin Pietersen and coach Peter Moores have both resigned, according to Sky Sports News.
Pietersen, who only took the job last August, was reported to be unhappy working with Moores and demanded showdown talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board following the 1-0 Test series defeat in India last month.
The ECB are believed to have held an emergency teleconference of their 12-man executive board on Tuesday evening to discuss the rift between coach and captain.
The outcome of those discussions appears to have prompted both men to quit.
Pietersen, 28, had enjoyed some initial success after succeeding Michael Vaughan as Test skipper and Paul Collingwood as one-day captain.
He led the side to victory over South Africa at the Oval in his first Test in charge and built on that with a 4-0 one-day series success over the Proteas.
Struggled
But England struggled during a difficult winter, losing the $20million winner-takes-all match against the Stanford Superstars in Antigua before falling 5-0 down in the seven-match one-day series in India, which was then abandoned due to the Mumbai terror attacks.
England's decision to return to India for two Tests earned widespread praise for Pietersen's handling of the situation.
The ECB have little time to find replacements as England are due to depart for a tour of West Indies on January 21.
Andy Flower, who worked as batting coach under Moores, is set to be interim coach in the Caribbean, with opening batsman Andrew Strauss favourite to be named captain.
Strauss has some international captaincy experience, having previously led England as a stand-in in five Tests, including a 2-0 series win over Pakistan in the summer of 2006.
Pietersen, who only took the job last August, was reported to be unhappy working with Moores and demanded showdown talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board following the 1-0 Test series defeat in India last month.
The ECB are believed to have held an emergency teleconference of their 12-man executive board on Tuesday evening to discuss the rift between coach and captain.
The outcome of those discussions appears to have prompted both men to quit.
Pietersen, 28, had enjoyed some initial success after succeeding Michael Vaughan as Test skipper and Paul Collingwood as one-day captain.
He led the side to victory over South Africa at the Oval in his first Test in charge and built on that with a 4-0 one-day series success over the Proteas.
Struggled
But England struggled during a difficult winter, losing the $20million winner-takes-all match against the Stanford Superstars in Antigua before falling 5-0 down in the seven-match one-day series in India, which was then abandoned due to the Mumbai terror attacks.
England's decision to return to India for two Tests earned widespread praise for Pietersen's handling of the situation.
The ECB have little time to find replacements as England are due to depart for a tour of West Indies on January 21.
Andy Flower, who worked as batting coach under Moores, is set to be interim coach in the Caribbean, with opening batsman Andrew Strauss favourite to be named captain.
Strauss has some international captaincy experience, having previously led England as a stand-in in five Tests, including a 2-0 series win over Pakistan in the summer of 2006.
