England must move on from coach Peter Moores, says Ian Botham
'They’re still playing as the game was played 20 years ago'
Saturday 21 March 2015 18:08, UK
Sir Ian Botham says England should move on from coach Peter Moores following their disastrous World Cup.
Botham says England’s one-day cricket is miles behind other countries and when asked if he thinks the team should move on from Moores, he said: “I think you’ve got to change things. You have to look at the coaching. Otherwise, where do England go from here?
“They’ve got to move on I think, join the rest of the world. They need to stop saying ‘we haven’t done much wrong’ or ‘we’re not far off’. They’re miles away at the moment.
“Look at the way the rest play. We’re not at the races. They’re still playing as the game was played 20 years ago.
“They think if they get to 280, they’ve got a good score. That’s not even par for the course over here. You have to be dynamic.”
Look at the way the rest play. We’re not at the races.
Botham also thinks England’s struggles were due to new captain Eoin Morgan not having the best players to pick from in his squad, and suggests a shake-up in the team of selectors is also necessary.
“You’ve given Eoin Morgan the job as captain – give him the 10 best one-day players to take out there with him. I don’t think he’s had that,” added Botham. “I think the selection policy is wrong and perhaps you need some younger people on that selection panel.
“People who know a bit more about the modern one-day game. Someone like, say, Paul Collingwood, who I think would be an asset.
“England got it wrong. I just don’t think they were up to it and they never looked like going through to be honest.
“I don’t think we’ve had some of our best players out here, people like Ben Stokes, who would add another dimension.
“You’ve got people travelling over from the UK – it’s a long way to come – and to be treated with that kind of performance. They were never in the running, and that’s the scary part.
“Losing – everyone can lose, but you’ve got to be in there contending and I don’t think England contended at any stage.
“There needs to be change. It’s just not good enough to be honest. They need to address it.”
