ECB 'forced to act'

Clarke: No Option

I am delighted that Kevin has reiterated his desire to play for England and actually I think he has handled the whole matter with great dignity.

Giles Clarke
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ECB chairman Giles Clarke says that the board had no choice but to get rid of both Kevin Pietersen as captain and coach Peter Moores after their bust-up became public.

Pietersen had been England captain for less than six months when he tendered his resignation after a bust-up between him and coach Moores entered the public domain.

The Hampshire batsman was thought to have issued an ultimatum to the ECB that it must either sack Moores or he would resign, after saying he could no longer work with the coach in the future.

Moores was relieved of his post, but the ECB was unwilling to hand such power to Pietersen, and so he was forced to resign his captaincy as a result.

Clarke has now spoken for the first time since the most turbulent day in recent English cricket history, saying the ECB was put in an impossible situation by the whole affair.

Situation

"The ECB was faced with an impossible situation and it raised issues that had very serious implications for the game," Clarke told the Daily Telegraph.

"It has been a very difficult time and when the issue arose it was obvious it was going to be horrendously problematic, but a lot of people have behaved with great dignity throughout, not least Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores."

Although Clarke did not want to publicly criticise Pietersen, it is thought the ECB did not like the way the captain's opinion of Moores appeared in the media.

With Andrew Strauss now at the helm, Clarke and the ECB are relieved that Pietersen, England's best player, has committed himself to still playing despite not being captain.

With a trip to the Caribbean to face the West Indies, and a return series at home before the Ashes this summer, it is critical that England now have a settled run, and Pietersen performing with the bat will be key to success.

Future

"The matter has been dealt with decisively and our focus is now on the future," Clarke said.

"Andrew Strauss is the captain and will be a fine leader, and it is very encouraging to see the players stressing their commitment to pull together under his leadership.

"I am delighted that Kevin has reiterated his desire to play for England and actually I think he has handled the whole matter with great dignity.

"I am a great admirer of his as a player and I look forward to him scoring 10,000 Test match runs and goodness knows how many in one-day internationals."