I don't like Cricket

Fletch lives?

What a fickle lot we are. 18 months ago Duncan Fletcher was being feted as Cricket's answer to Jose Mourinho, today he's more Sven-Goran Ericsson and the calls for him to go are getting louder all the time.

Some may argue that this is not the time for kneejerk reactions, but there is no doubt in my mind that he has a case to answer.

Clearly team selection has been a massive issue. The Monty vs Giles and Read vs Jones debate has been done to death, but what was once one of Fletcher's great strengths - his loyalty to players - is now perhaps his greatest weakness. Similarly major mistakes have been made in terms of preparation for the series and the tactics adopted (with disastrous consequences this morning). Add in England's truly abysmal one-day form and Fletcher's monosyllabic approach to dealing with the media and I suspect that the pressure on the coach to resign could soon become irresistible.

Of course this begs two questions, who would take over (Is Bob Wolmer cricket's Brian Clough) and is it wise to replace the coach just before the world cup? At the moment I'm not sure whether I know the answer to either, which suggests that for the time being Fletcher should stay.

posted by cov @ 5:03 pm