Kevin Pietersen launches fresh attack on former England team director Andy Flower
Thursday 9 October 2014 09:21, UK
Kevin Pietersen has launched a fresh attack on his former England team director Andy Flower, saying that a decent man-manager could have healed the divisions in the dressing room and prevented the premature end to his international career.
Pietersen also claims that senior management in English cricket cannot expect him to be an explosive maverick on the field and an introverted choirboy off it.
In his autobiography, Pietersen singled out Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Matt Prior for particular criticism when talking of a bullying culture around the national team.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: "The team-mates played a part in it because they were allowed to play a part in it. Yes they did play a part in it, but a decent man-manager, a decent coach would have sorted the whole situation out so none of this would ever have happened.
"If a great coach was in charge of England, none of this would have happened."
Michael Yardy has plenty of experience of playing with Prior for both Sussex and England and he told Sky Sports News HQ he had never witnessed any bullying.
He said: "He's a bit hurt, as you would be, but he's a strong character and he'll get on with things and things will blow over and he'll move on."
The claims and counter-claims surrounding Pietersen have caused reverberations across all sports and one of Britain's most successful sporting leaders - Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford - has some sympathy with Flower.
Brailsford has faced many challenges in recent years in his cycling role with Team Sky and as the ormer British Cycling performance director, most notably how best to accommodate Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
He said: "Sport is all about managing difficult personalities. The best sports people in the world aren't normal people. Most of the time there's something driving them a little bit more than most other people so you're bound to get scenarios that are difficult and you get conflict.
"I've never met Kevin Pietersen but I do know Andy Flower, and I rate Andy Flower."
