England Cricket

So the World Cup debacle was the last straw. The one that broke, well, you know how it goes.

On Wednesday, an official statement announced that Paul Downton had been sacked from his position as managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board following a review of the England team-management structure by ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison.

Of course, Downton didn't face or bowl a ball at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. He didn't conduct a coaching session. He didn't make embarrassing comments after a loss to Bangladesh. He never conceded 44 runs in 10 balls to Brendon McCullum. 

But Downton, in 14 months in his position, did oversee one of the most tumultuous and farcical periods in England's cricketing history.

Under Downton, Andy Flower was ridiculously repositioned at the head of youth development at England's academy straight after departing his position as head coach. Peter Moores was then appointed as his replacement despite having been sacked from the very same position five years earlier. The uneasy removal of Alastair Cook as one-day captain came next, with the timing of the ultimately correct decision appalling.

And as we'll never forget, Downton was hugely responsible for the Kevin Pietersen saga that refuses to go away—a polarising issue handled so ineptly, dipping into playground levels of pettiness, that it has left the reputations of everyone concerned immeasurably damaged, most of all Downton and the ECB. 

Harrison had no choice; a key figure at the top had to go.

Downton was it. 

Naturally, a host of former players are already considered the front-runners to replace the departing managing director, among them are three recent captains in Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain. 

Writing for The Telegraph, Vaughan, an Ashes winner in 2005, has already indicated his interest in meeting with the ECB to discuss the role:

For the first time since retiring six years ago I am open to a conversation with the ECB. I am passionate about English cricket. I love the game and I always want England to move forward and be successful.

I have a vision for the game and I think I will be one of many ex-players who will be more than willing to talk to the ECB to see what exactly the role is and how much influence it will wield over the future structure of our game.

The brief has to be wider and more powerful than Paul’s to have any real impact on England.

What's important to note is that Downton's exact role won't be replaced. Instead, the ECB is looking for a director of England Cricket following Harrison's review of the management structure.

It's not yet clear what the specifics are for such a position, but one senses the role would be similar to the high-performance ones existing in Australia, which focus almost exclusively on the senior team.

If that is the case, Vaughan's suitability for the position would become clearer. As a managing director, there would be doubts about the former captain; Downton's duties extended well beyond England's first XI, covering women's cricket, disability cricket and the game's grassroots.

It's why, arriving with a strong background in business and management, Downton was initially appointed—the ECB wanted a figure to oversee more than just the senior team.

Such an all-encompassing position might not cater to Vaughan's strengths. But a high-performance role could. A vibrant personality and a strong advocate for an aggressive, proactive and modern approach to cricket, Vaughan could be capable of helping the ECB and the England team escape their frustratingly dated existence.

And that's crucial. The need for modernity is central to the necessary overhaul. 

Lawrence Booth, editor of Wisden, cricket's bible, recently gave a scathing review of the last 12 months in English cricket, which was highlighted by BBC Sport:

In 2014 English cricket repeatedly lost touch—not just with things it wished had never happened, but with the basic idea that the national team belongs to us all.

The power brokers indulged in mutual backslapping. ... It was a nexus of self-preservation—yet, as the wagons circled, the wheels kept threatening to come off.

It's a telling summary from Booth, one that reflects the drastic image problem that cricket in England has. Whether right or wrong, the UK public's perception of the game is that it's a snobby pastime for the financial elite that's not at all welcoming to "the people"—a point that was spectacularly reinforced when ECB chairman Giles Clarke stated that Alastair Cook and his family "are very much the sort of people we want the England captain and his family to be."

The banishment of figures who don't readily conform has only hammered it home further. 

However, the sacking of Downton is the first step toward changing that.

Inevitably, his axing also places pressure on other figures within the England setup.

Having been appointed during Downton's tenure, Moores, in his position as head coach, is now precariously placed following the team's disastrous World Cup campaign. And if Vaughan were to be appointed as the director of England cricket, it would almost certainly signal the end for the current coach, given Vaughan's insistence that Moores should be sacked.

National selector James Whitaker is also expected to follow Downton out of the exit door, which could put an end to a selection policy built on archaic conservatism. 

Evidently, change is coming to England and the ECB. It's both necessary and painfully overdue. The process will also be arduous, given the list of items that need to be addressed, such as the domestic Twenty20 format, the academy, the coaching structure, Pietersen, the Indian Premier League, sponsorship and TV rights.

But at least the first step in the repair process has been taken.

The hashtag in Kevin Pietersen's tweet read "#comeback."

Just under two weeks after his re-signing with Surrey was made official on March 25, the former England batsman was preparing for his first training session of 2015 with the same county outfit that had ruled out his return as recently as January. 

A comeback, indeed. 

Of course, this is a move that has been triggered by the incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, Colin Graves, who according to The Guardian's Ali Martin has spoken with Pietersen about a possible return to the England Test side. 

The necessity for such an occurrence?

Runs at county level. In four-day cricket. 

And plenty of them. 

Admittedly, there are countless aspects of the Pietersen saga that need to be addressed and resolved before a return to the England team for the flamboyant batsman is both a) realistic and b) logical.

There are relationships to repair with players, coaches and administrators. An exact place in the team needs to be identified (remember, despite England's dreadful World Cup campaign, the team won its last Test series 3-1 against India). And then there's a matter of form, or lack thereof—Pietersen hasn't played a first-class game since his last Test appearance at the end of the 2013-14 Ashes series. 

Thus, it all starts with Surrey. Before any possibilities can be genuinely considered, Pietersen needs to show he's worthy of selection for purely cricketing reasons. 

So what can Surrey expect?

What's important to acknowledge, and it's a point the South African-born star noted himself in a column for The Telegraph, is that his return to county cricket will be restricted to one format—the four-day version:

This is just a four-day deal initially because I want to concentrate on playing red-ball cricket. I have played so much T20 over the last 14 months that I know I can play that format, but I now need to knuckle down and spend some time in four-day cricket. The way I batted in the Big Bash gave me real confidence and I feel I am playing as well as ever. I am not guaranteed any runs early season but I will be doing everything I can to be in form for when the Test matches start in the summer.

Such a decision might prove critical to Pietersen's chances of being successful upon his return to the county level. For more than a year he's smashed white balls around grounds in rapid time; now he'll need to become reacquainted with the subtleties of first-class batting. 

Yet recent evidence also suggests that as a batsman who's recently been a domestic Twenty20 freelancer, he also has a trend he needs to reverse in the game's longer formats. 

As the table below highlights, Pietersen's Test form had been in decline prior to his sacking, with his last complete year in the game, 2013, standing as the least productive year of a career that began in 2005: 

Certainly, part of that could be attributed to the disenchantment he experienced with the environment inside the England setup prior to his axing—something he expressed at length both in an interview with Paul Hayward of The Telegraph last October and in his own book, KP: The Autobiography.

But it also can't be ignored that Pietersen is a 34-year-old—he'll be 35 when the Ashes arrive in England in July—who's past a batsman's prime years (typically 28-32), who's spent more than a year away from the game's most demanding format and whose most recent record against a red ball isn't close to those at the peak of his career. 

Just county cricket it may be, but his return won't be a straightforward, joyous stroll around the championship's grounds.  

Interestingly, for an example of a Test player returning to the domestic game, you could look to the recent case of Jonathan Trott. 

Though Trott's exit from the international arena was due to very different circumstances—a stress-related issue rather than a conflict with team management—his 2014 campaign with Warwickshire, in which he scored 620 runs at an average of 47.69, serves as some sort of indication of what an experienced Test player returning to the county circuit after a turbulent period might be able to expect. 

For a player of Pietersen's astonishing talent, an average in the mid-40s certainly seems attainable, even when considering his significant absence. It could also be realistic, couldn't it?

But naturally, it's tempting to think he's capable of significantly more—something in the 50s. However, keep in mind that Kane Williamson averaged a tick above 57 for Yorkshire last year. Chris Rogers averaged just over 55 for Middlesex. 

Both men, of course, have remained flat out in the Test arena. Those lofty averages were achievable because of an ongoing existence at the game's pinnacle. 

Pietersen hasn't had that. He's been in coloured clothing. Facing white balls. Behind microphones. 

The challenge is greater. 

For his part, Alec Stewart, Surrey's director of cricket, is confident Pietersen's return will be a success—not only from a personal perspective but also in terms of the leadership and guidance Stewart believes he can provide.

"Yes, we need good cricketers, but we also need good people," the former England wicketkeeper said, via George Dobell of ESPN Cricinfo. "We are trying to bring through young players who learn and do the right thing. Jason Roy, for example has learnt so much from KP. He has huge respect, looks up to him and would like to emulate what KP has done as a player.

"We've gained a very ambitious, very good player. That's why we've brought him back in."

The thing is, we just don't know how good. He's unlikely to be the player he once was, but, from this point forward, no one can be certain just what he could be. 

Pietersen has proved people wrong his whole life. Now he has a chance to do so again. 

The comeback is on. 

Follow @TimDCollins

England’s miserable World Cup campaign concluded with a nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in a rain-affected match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Associate Nation made 111-7 in 36.2 overs, with their innings interrupted three times by rain.

Duckworth-Lewis calculations meant a revised target of 101 in 25 overs for England and they made it home with 41 balls to spare.

Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bowl with James Anderson and Stuart Broad removing the openers to leave the Afghans on 24-2 after 8.5 overs when the first shower arrived.

England have found the edge of the bat regularly this morning: http://t.co/PCia5591zj #CWC15 #fireitup pic.twitter.com/KDKqAlQb2Y

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 13, 2015

Chris Jordan picked up two wickets as the minnows stuttered to 62-4 in the 25th over before another 40-minute rain break.

Their team is in a spot of bother but the Afghanistan fans are cheering every run! #cwc15 #ENGvAFG https://t.co/9jVcCEISKf

— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 13, 2015

Ravi Bopara and James Tredwell, both making their first appearances in the tournament, then combined for three wickets before the heaviest downpour of the day.

WATCH: Bopara makes an excellent catch after Shafiqullah tries to slog Tredwell. Live on Sky Sports World Cup #CWC15 http://t.co/84T0EpMH2R

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 13, 2015

The match resumed two-and-a-half hours later with Ian Bell and Alex Hales putting on 59 in the powerplay although the latter was dropped twice at point by Najib Zadran.

Hales did depart for 37 when he edged Hamid Hassan behind but Bell (52*) steered England home.

England claim nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan and finish World Cup with two wins in Pool A #CWC15 #cricket pic.twitter.com/bschhsJk3a

— FOX SPORTS News (@FOXSportsNews) March 13, 2015

The win meant England avoided their worst performance at a World Cup, but the inquest is sure to continue on their return home after defeats against all four Test-playing nations, including Bangladesh on Monday, meant they missed the quarter-finals.

Afghanistan earned a win in their maiden campaign against Scotland and will now focus on trying to qualify for the 2019 tournament, which will only feature 10 teams.

The torture has finished. But the backlash and fallout have only just begun.

For England, that's the situation after they were knocked out of the 2015 Cricket World Cup in dramatic fashion by Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval on Monday. 

Chasing 276 for victory, Eoin Morgan's team fell 15 runs short, bowled out for 260 in good batting conditions as Bangladesh's seamers dismantled England's lineup. 

At one point, at 121 for two, the men in blue looked well-placed to reach the required total comfortably, but a middle-order collapse that saw England slump to 163 for six was a blow they never recovered from, despite an impressive innings from Jos Buttler. 

For their part, Bangladesh were outstanding, with Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim playing match-defining innings, before being backed up excellently with the ball by Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed.

But for England, it's now a matter of probing questions.

Why couldn't the team benefit from six months of solid, one-day international preparation? Why do England's players appear so bereft of individuality and flair? Is the team's statistical fixation to blame? When will the county system be overhauled? When will change occur at the England and Wales Cricket Board? When will England embrace a modern mentality to their limited-overs cricket?

What will it take for a radically new approach to be taken?

The Immediate Backlash

Predictably, the reaction to England's exit at the World Cup was both rapid and savage. Here's a sample of it: 

And they celebrate! @Irelandcricket #CWC15 #ENGvBAN pic.twitter.com/dDqcsLO60O

— HoldingWilleyCricket (@holdingwilley) March 9, 2015

Peter Moores: 'We've lost some players'. Can't bring himself to say 'Pietersen'

— Ian Prior (@ianprior) March 9, 2015

Morgan's Nightmare 

When Morgan was appointed as captain of England's ODI team to replace the sacked Alastair Cook, it was viewed as a necessary change for the evolution of the side.

Essentially, England needed to become more aggressive and proactive with both the bat and their approach, and Morgan's ascension to the leadership was supposed to be a catalyst for that.

However, despite the reasoning being sound, Morgan's dire personal form has proved catastrophic for his side.

With yet another scoreless effort on Monday, the left-hander extended his barren run to five ducks in his last 11 innings.

Over the Line but Not Safe

Chris Jordan was involved in a bizarre incident in the closing stages of England's chase on Monday, when he was adjudged run out by the third umpire despite his bat being well over the line. 

After setting off for a quick single before turning back, Jordan made a desperate dive to make his ground but saw his bat bounce up off the turf after landing, meaning that the third umpire had to decide whether any of the bat was actually grounded behind the line at the time of the ball hitting the stumps. 

To the naked eye, it appeared (as shown in the image above) that the shoulder of the bat was touching the turf, but Jordan was sent back to the dressing room amid what was a chaotic ending to the match. 

Delivery of the Day

Catch of the Day

Pool A

Tuesday's Schedule

Tuesday at the World Cup sees India take on Ireland at Seddon Park in Hamilton. With MS Dhoni's men unbeaten and the Irish having impressively won three of their opening four games, both teams entering the Pool B clash will want to solidify their strong positions in the points table. 

Story of this World Cup #ENGvBAN pic.twitter.com/XCxiCRlYbf

— Cricketstuff (@Crickstuff) March 9, 2015

England's Cricket World Cup is over after they suffered a 15-run loss to Bangladesh in Adelaide. 

Eoin Morgan's men can no longer qualify for the quarter-finals despite having one game with Afghanistan left. 

After yet another poor performance, England were hammered on social media—mostly by their own fans and former players. 

Well done Bangladesh ! England pathetic ! When are we going to pick the selectors to pick a team for the 1 day format ? Time for change !!

— Ian Botham (@BeefyBotham) March 9, 2015

Don't worry.... I am sure some positives will have come out of this WC for @ECB_cricket #MyArse

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 9, 2015

I'll tell you a great joke The England cricket team

— Daf Green (@DafGreen) March 9, 2015

England were pathetic in every game. No idea, no fight, no application, not a clue how to play one day cricket. 😞

— Suraj (@cric_champ) March 9, 2015

England's cricketers are a bunch of woeful muppets. Can't remember such a shameful performance from them, which says a lot @ECB_cricket

— Crispian Balmer (@crispiandjb) March 9, 2015

Utter humiliation for England cricket. The entire prep and performance woeful. Mgt has to go

— Giles Cooke MW (@gilescooke) March 9, 2015

Meanwhile, Ireland were enjoying the fact that they had outlasted their neighbours from across the Irish Sea. 

EXCLUSIVE: England crash out of the Cricket World Cup. Here’s the latest pic from Adelaide: pic.twitter.com/EVXtx5MQpT

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) March 9, 2015

#CWC15 pic.twitter.com/Qw6DZNYpjW

— Sean Fay (@Sean_Fay) March 9, 2015

England are out - here's a very serious argument to say Ireland are Europe’s best cricket team http://t.co/uwDtW2RJIP pic.twitter.com/zOVouPTBDs

— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) March 9, 2015

They were enjoying it in Australia too.

Dear #England @ECB_cricket , from #Australia pic.twitter.com/izadWfMRsf

— Andrew B (@LycraJedi) March 9, 2015

One man was an interested observer.

I CANNOT BELIVE THIS! I JUST CANNOT! But, well done Bangladesh! You deserved it! #ENGvBAN

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) March 9, 2015

DO NOT SAY WE HAVENT PRIORITISED ODI CRICKET! We played a back to back Ashes to make sure England played 6 months of ODI's before this WC! 😡

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) March 9, 2015

And plenty of people were calling for his return. 

Absolute scenes!! Peter Moores, you Sir need to go, Kevin Pietersen, you need to return!! How can the ECB argue that?? #Shambles #CWC

— Nathan Boyle (@17_Hammie_LUFC) March 9, 2015

Once Kevin Pietersen was axed from the England Team & rest is history. #ENGvBAN

— Ameer Hamza Ali (@AmeerHumzaAly) March 9, 2015

Perhaps now the blind fools running the #ECB will start picking our best players I.e. #pietersen

— DB (@topical_footy) March 9, 2015

Kevin Pietersen second highest scorer at the Big Bash. England out at the group stage. pic.twitter.com/pWWwMDWONH

— Callum Shannon (@callumshan) March 9, 2015

"If we had a lot of experienced one day players we weren't selecting it would be different." P Moores Kevin Pietersen has played 136 ODIs

— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) March 9, 2015

Grim stuff all around for England fans.

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