England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia has triggered the usual soul-searching at the England Cricket Board (ECB), but Kevin Pietersen has managed to throw in a curveball that nobody saw coming. Barely a day after England’s latest disappointment in Sydney, Pietersen publicly floated the idea of Andy Flower returning to the England setup, despite the famously bitter history between the two.
Yes, that Andy Flower. The same former England coach Pietersen once labelled a “mood hoover” during the 2013-14 Ashes fallout that effectively ended his England career. And yet, here was Pietersen on X (formerly Twitter) suggesting that Flower, now the head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), could be the man to help pull England out of its latest mess.
Pietersen himself admitted the idea bordered on madness. He described it as one of his “wildest” thoughts, but insisted he had been told by several players that Flower has evolved as a coach since their public falling-out. With Flower enjoying enormous success on the T20 franchise circuit and building a reputation for adapting to modern players, Pietersen believes the former Zimbabwe captain now ticks boxes that England desperately need in red-ball cricket.
ECB review gathers pace as pressure mounts on McCullum
The ECB has already confirmed a full review of the Ashes tour, with Brendon McCullum under scrutiny despite his contract running for another two years. England’s managing director Rob Key, who expanded McCullum’s role to oversee both red and white-ball teams, is also facing uncomfortable questions after the decision backfired badly in Australia.
McCullum has accepted that “tweaks” are required and remains favourite to lead England into the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup, but chief executive Richard Gould has promised “necessary changes” following the review. Ben Stokes has publicly backed McCullum, insisting he expects him to be in charge for England’s home summer against New Zealand. His own position as captain appears safe for now, though he acknowledged personal shortcomings during the tour.
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