Cut the nose to spite the face

First topic message reminder :

Did they just cut the nose to spite the face ?

Yes indeed ECB cut their nose to spite their face.

With 7000 runs, 88 tests @ 50+ average, a big 100 in his last overseas innings in Lanka to keep England hanging in as No. 1 and another big hundred in what was defnitely his LAST test to yet again keep them hanging by a flimsy thread as No.1....KP's status as their biggest superstar in the last 3 decades and a legend in English cricket is already confirmed.


The intent obviously was to "hit back and hurt back".......instead of finding ways to reconcile and move forward.
Unfortunately ECB's timing was as bad as their intent.
.
If it was repraminding and putting down a newbie with 20 odd tests and 1500 runs.....then ECB's intent to "hit back and hurt" may have worked.......but here they have probably added martyrdom to an exisiting superstardom.

KP could have finished with 9000 or even 10,000 runs in the next 3 years....even without those extra 2,000 runs runs..nothing changes in his standing as a cricketer...the loser is English cricket.

An extraordinary batsman, who served England well for long, a flawed genius who acknowledged his flawed emotionalism and one who took severeal steps towards reconcillation....the super star who was made a martyr today by the bureaucrats who did a classic " cut their nose to spite their own face"......is how history would sum it up when dust settles over this issue.

KP fan, maybe they are, we don't know what is happening behind the scenes.

The South African manager has gone on record saying the ECB hasn't put a formal request regarding the contents of the said text messages. All that we have are wild speculations, coming from the English media, we know very well about their credibility levels. Didn't even leave the royal family alone did they?

Wild speculations and an apology from KP for 'provacative texts'

For all the defending you lot do of KP, for such a fine player hes already burnt his bridges at 2 counties.

GSC wrote:Wild speculations and an apology from KP for 'provacative texts'

For all the defending you lot do of KP, for such a fine player hes already burnt his bridges at 2 counties.

And it seems two Countries as well.

2 for 2.

Aye, I mean you can only defend a guy for so long, if hes continually at odds with every dressing room it isn't worth the headache

The apology is the only way he could start the process of finding his way back. And I have never said KP was a saint. Of course he made mistakes, some pretty stupid ones at that, but the way the saga went out of hand, reaching a stage where KP send those texts and got dropped, the administrators, the team management and even some of the team members played a huge role.
More than any of that, KP as a player was at his hundred % best on field, and an inform KP is a match winneer for England. Love and admiration do not win you cricket matches consistently, it takes skill, and on that alone he just walks into this side. He has offered so much to English cricket over the years, and losing him in his prime is senseless.
Although KPFan and I have many similar views on the matter, I think our vantage points are cdifferent, and the end points are the same, that an England side with Pietersen in there is a much better one than one without him.
Have a look at this.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/578383.html

after firing the shots from his boys' shoulders...Flower finally opens his mouth....fearing the defeat and loss of No.1 might weaken the resolve of selectors....

Flower Opens Fires


And Flower has mirrored Test captain Andrew Strauss' sentiments that several issues need to be addressed before Pietersen can return to the dressing room.


''It's a very sad situation for everyone involved,'' Flower said. ''He played superbly in our last Twenty20 World Cup but the circumstances that exist at the moment mean that he can't be selected for us.


"There are unresolved issues of trust and respect that we have to get to the bottom of before we have a chance of moving forward.


"This is not just an issue between the player and the captain, there are bigger issues at heart. Also the text issues do have to be investigated so that we know what situation we are dealing with. We are aware of some of the content but we have to understand the content to move on in a proper, healthy fashion.


Flower added: ''Let me just be clear, this is not just an issue between the captain and Kevin. There are deeper issues. Certainly the issues of trust and mutual respect need to be addressed, there are unresolved issues that have reared their heads in the last few weeks.

''And those issues have to be resolved before there is any way forward.

''You resolve these issues face-to-face with people, not through agents or PR agencies, and if this issue is going to be resolved that's how it is going to have to be.

''There are always issues coming up, it's part of what makes the job very interesting and Andrew Strauss and I have worked very closely and very well together over the years and we'll continue to do so over this issue.''

'Flower Opens Fires'

Slight exaggeration there.

GSC wrote:'Flower Opens Fires'

Slight exaggeration there.

Correct....all the big exaggerattions have been used up by Flower and his wool -wrapped, fragile, weeping kids who are refusing to turn up in the class if the big bad bully is allowed in

Maan...unbelievable...on re-read this guy Flower is sounding Morose as if a head of a state has been killed in an assasination.....
The most passive aggresive opponent of KP in the guise of all that team/trust blah blah blah

Flower sounds very sensible to me. Wants to resolve the issues in private, before making any definitive decisions regarding Pietersen's future with England. About right.

I just wish they'd strike whilst the iron is hot, Mike. I hate this talk of not doing anything until they have time etc.

In the meantime we are losing out on the services of a world class performer. Sooner rather than later would surely benefit all parties.

Mike Selig wrote:Flower sounds very sensible to me. Wants to resolve the issues in private, before making any definitive decisions regarding Pietersen's future with England. About right.

Ha Ha...he wants to resolve the issue in private and yet will talk in public with a " Look KP killed someone tone"....
and in addtion to Flower...Strauss, Bresnan, Finn, Cook, Prior, Swann...all will take a swipe at KP and the damage he has caused IN PUBLIC......
but poor KP is not allowed to utter a word to either counter or defend or even explain himself in public........else he will be in breach of some code, clause, law...... or in the absence of anything concrete held morally and spiritually guilty of damaging some flimsy non-existent, ghosts of happiness.......
sitiuation is analogous of a man gagged .....hands tied at the back....body tried to a trunk...and one after the other people come and slash him.....

KP_fan wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:Flower sounds very sensible to me. Wants to resolve the issues in private, before making any definitive decisions regarding Pietersen's future with England. About right.

Ha Ha...he wants to resolve the issue in private and yet will talk in public with a " Look KP killed someone tone"....
and in addtion to Flower...Strauss, Bresnan, Finn, Cook, Prior, Swann...all will take a swipe at KP and the damage he has caused IN PUBLIC......
but poor KP is not allowed to utter a word to either counter or defend or even explain himself in public........else he will be in breach of some code, clause, law...... or in the absence of anything concrete held morally and spiritually guilty of damaging some flimsy non-existent, ghosts of happiness.......
sitiuation is analogous of a man gagged .....hands tied at the back....body tried to a trunk...and one after the other people come and slash him.....

Wow, talk about adding 2 and 2 together and getting 5. Or 10. I've interviewed Flower in the past, and believe me he only has one "tone" - the quote you've posted is reflective of that, the use of phrasing is almost identical to how he spoke before the Sri Lankan tour. There's really nothing new in that interview that hasn't already come out, he's just confirming the situation as it stands, without going into further detail

KP_fan wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:Flower sounds very sensible to me. Wants to resolve the issues in private, before making any definitive decisions regarding Pietersen's future with England. About right.

Ha Ha...he wants to resolve the issue in private and yet will talk in public with a " Look KP killed someone tone"....
and in addtion to Flower...Strauss, Bresnan, Finn, Cook, Prior, Swann...all will take a swipe at KP and the damage he has caused IN PUBLIC......
but poor KP is not allowed to utter a word to either counter or defend or even explain himself in public........else he will be in breach of some code, clause, law...... or in the absence of anything concrete held morally and spiritually guilty of damaging some flimsy non-existent, ghosts of happiness.......
sitiuation is analogous of a man gagged .....hands tied at the back....body tried to a trunk...and one after the other people come and slash him.....

...AFTER KP had gone tittle-tattling about his team mates to his buddies in the opposing team. I think I'd be feeling like a little revenge if I were them.

If several players are having a go at KP, don't you think it says something about the state of relations between Kevin and the rest of the squad?

Don't sour the barrel because of one bad apple - thats my philosophy. No one player is bigger than the team and England are more than capable of being successful in all forms of the game, without him. If the playing and coaching staff have issues with him then his days as an England player are numbered, simple as that.

Troublemakers are usually good at making themselves appear victimised.

Personally I've always thought he was a bit of a show pony - always flattered to deceive. Put in some good performances, but more poor ones than his talent and ability should have allowed. KPs problem was never his ability...it was his personality and mentality when out in the middle.

Pete C (Kiwireddevil) wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:Flower sounds very sensible to me. Wants to resolve the issues in private, before making any definitive decisions regarding Pietersen's future with England. About right.

Ha Ha...he wants to resolve the issue in private and yet will talk in public with a " Look KP killed someone tone"....
and in addtion to Flower...Strauss, Bresnan, Finn, Cook, Prior, Swann...all will take a swipe at KP and the damage he has caused IN PUBLIC......
but poor KP is not allowed to utter a word to either counter or defend or even explain himself in public........else he will be in breach of some code, clause, law...... or in the absence of anything concrete held morally and spiritually guilty of damaging some flimsy non-existent, ghosts of happiness.......
sitiuation is analogous of a man gagged .....hands tied at the back....body tried to a trunk...and one after the other people come and slash him.....

Wow, talk about adding 2 and 2 together and getting 5. Or 10. I've interviewed Flower in the past, and believe me he only has one "tone" - the quote you've posted is reflective of that, the use of phrasing is almost identical to how he spoke before the Sri Lankan tour. There's really nothing new in that interview that hasn't already come out, he's just confirming the situation as it stands, without going into further detail

--why is he talking in public when he wants to resolve the situation in private ?...and sending all kinda cronies to talk in public
why is he stirring it up with " we want to investigate the sms more".........why not investigate first, get the evidence and let someone from ECB come and make a statement ???
--why state in media that the issue has to be resolved not throuhg PR agents but face to face ??? Has someone sent a face-2-face meeting invite to KP....and did he decline it?? if that is the case then he must state so specifically.....

What Flower is doing here is .......stir the pot......in the wake of defeat and loss of No.1 let not the public symptahy at all sway in KP's favor......

the analogy stated above becomes more and more evident

Fists of Fury wrote:I just wish they'd strike whilst the iron is hot, Mike. I hate this talk of not doing anything until they have time etc.

Nope, don't agree at all. Best to let things cool off, everyone have a think about it and then calmly set about resolving the situation.

KP_fan, please don't bother answering my posts, nothing you have to say interests me in the slightest until you show that you have anything useful to contribute.

KP_fan wrote:after firing the shots from his boys' shoulders...Flower finally opens his mouth....fearing the defeat and loss of No.1 might weaken the resolve of selectors....

Flower Opens Fires


And Flower has mirrored Test captain Andrew Strauss' sentiments that several issues need to be addressed before Pietersen can return to the dressing room.


''It's a very sad situation for everyone involved,'' Flower said. ''He played superbly in our last Twenty20 World Cup but the circumstances that exist at the moment mean that he can't be selected for us.


"There are unresolved issues of trust and respect that we have to get to the bottom of before we have a chance of moving forward.


"This is not just an issue between the player and the captain, there are bigger issues at heart. Also the text issues do have to be investigated so that we know what situation we are dealing with. We are aware of some of the content but we have to understand the content to move on in a proper, healthy fashion.


Flower added: ''Let me just be clear, this is not just an issue between the captain and Kevin. There are deeper issues. Certainly the issues of trust and mutual respect need to be addressed, there are unresolved issues that have reared their heads in the last few weeks.

''And those issues have to be resolved before there is any way forward.

''You resolve these issues face-to-face with people, not through agents or PR agencies, and if this issue is going to be resolved that's how it is going to have to be.

''There are always issues coming up, it's part of what makes the job very interesting and Andrew Strauss and I have worked very closely and very well together over the years and we'll continue to do so over this issue.''

I find this to be a perfectly reasonable response to be honest. Would prefer that this would be resolved sooner rather than later but i am not privvy to all that has gone on inside the dressing room.

KP_fan, to use an earthquake analogy here. When an earthquake strikes, many areas may be damaged, its why they calculate the epicentre and attempt to take actions there.

KP has been at the epicentre of many problems and its clear that the issues are not a KP v Strauss but KP v Strauss, many memebers of the team, Flower and the ECB. Until these issues are resloved, Flower has no option than to not select him.

I'm pretty sure hes the 2nd coming of Swamy at this point

Swammy? For the love of god no. I dont want articles turning into what we all will have for lunch

I put salad, mayo and cheese into a panini and toasted it. You?

I had a couple of sandwiches, one cheese, one chocolate spread. Also had a nectarine which was very nice although messy. All washed down with some orange juice which was probably years past its sell-by date but tasted fine.

Hot dogs with Sauerkraut

Bacon in seeded rolls

This is much more fun than reading certain drivel.

eirebilly wrote:Hot dogs with Sauerkraut

mmmm hot-dog... Sauerkraut, I am told (I have never had it), is very similar to the Korean kimchi (which I have, and enjoy, although the Korean tradition of eating it 3 times a day seems somewhat overkill)?

KP_fan wrote:

Pete C (Kiwireddevil) wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:Flower sounds very sensible to me. Wants to resolve the issues in private, before making any definitive decisions regarding Pietersen's future with England. About right.

Ha Ha...he wants to resolve the issue in private and yet will talk in public with a " Look KP killed someone tone"....
and in addtion to Flower...Strauss, Bresnan, Finn, Cook, Prior, Swann...all will take a swipe at KP and the damage he has caused IN PUBLIC......
but poor KP is not allowed to utter a word to either counter or defend or even explain himself in public........else he will be in breach of some code, clause, law...... or in the absence of anything concrete held morally and spiritually guilty of damaging some flimsy non-existent, ghosts of happiness.......
sitiuation is analogous of a man gagged .....hands tied at the back....body tried to a trunk...and one after the other people come and slash him.....

Wow, talk about adding 2 and 2 together and getting 5. Or 10. I've interviewed Flower in the past, and believe me he only has one "tone" - the quote you've posted is reflective of that, the use of phrasing is almost identical to how he spoke before the Sri Lankan tour. There's really nothing new in that interview that hasn't already come out, he's just confirming the situation as it stands, without going into further detail

--why is he talking in public when he wants to resolve the situation in private ?...and sending all kinda cronies to talk in public
why is he stirring it up with " we want to investigate the sms more".........why not investigate first, get the evidence and let someone from ECB come and make a statement ???
--why state in media that the issue has to be resolved not throuhg PR agents but face to face ??? Has someone sent a face-2-face meeting invite to KP....and did he decline it?? if that is the case then he must state so specifically.....

What Flower is doing here is .......stir the pot......in the wake of defeat and loss of No.1 let not the public symptahy at all sway in KP's favor......

the analogy stated above becomes more and more evident

Firstly, I'd say Flower's responding to a question from a journo - if he'd said "no comment" you'd have been attacking him for not saying anything. More to the point, he's carefully said very little - everyone knows that
a) There are problems between KP and several other England players and have been for a while - so Flower's not added new info there.

b) KP was asked before the 3rd test to clarify the content of the text messages, and didn't - so Flower is reiterating that. Again, nothing new there

c) - Anyone with any common sense can see that a lack of direct communications between the parties has contributed to the issues - KP's You Tube spiel, the leaks from within the England camp, KP's overreaction to the parody Twitter account (try reading the fake Gavin Henson one some time for contrast), etc. So it's pretty clear to me that a face to face meeting is the way forward to ensure Chinese whispers don't distort anything. Standard practice when a player is not selected is for him to be informed privately before the announcement of reasons for non-selection. Now if Flower hasn't done that then KP would have reason to be aggrieved - but that communication would likely have been something like "Look, the ICC deadline for team selection is Tuesday (I think that was the revised cut off date?). We don't believe we can select you until we've met with you to discuss (x), (y), (z) plus any issues you want to raise." There wasn't much of a window between the end of the test and the squad announcement, so it's not hard to see why there wasn't time to schedule a face to face.

Secondly, Flower IS "someone from the ECB". He was announcing the team at an official ECB press conference. So why shouldn't he be the person to answer the inevitable "why wasn't KP selected" question?

I love sauerkraut, i eat loads. Not good for the gas build up though

Too much info ty

Remember that info skyeman, it can be handy if you ever want to be left alone

Mike Selig wrote:

Fists of Fury wrote:I just wish they'd strike whilst the iron is hot, Mike. I hate this talk of not doing anything until they have time etc.

Nope, don't agree at all. Best to let things cool off, everyone have a think about it and then calmly set about resolving the situation.

KP_fan, please don't bother answering my posts, nothing you have to say interests me in the slightest until you show that you have anything useful to contribute.

I'll translate: Don't dare disagree with my opinions. If you do, I'll ignore you like a 6 year old in the play ground.

Some very valid points there KP_Fan. Been saying it since the 'private' meeting held by KP and the ECB or whoever, was leaked. Double standards everywhere you look. Don't forget, 'happy dressing rooms' win matches. Oops.

Actually I have to fully agree on that point by Mike. His 'points' are repetitive dribble about how the ECB are equivalent to the worst dictatorships.

That's not true. I'm perfectly happy to engage with those who disagree with me, from memory msp, shanky (on the Gayle issue, as well as the KP one), billy (rugby board - suitability of Rolland to referee France matches), mysti (on Cook's ability to play T20), skyeman, guilford (both HoF thread), even yourself. The debates sometimes get heated, and no punches are pulled, but they are interesting and engaging because both sides take on board what the other has to say and answers the points in a reasoned manner.

I just don't want to waste my time with someone whose only interest is saying the same thing time after time, regardless of what's actually happening (perfect example being his reaction to this interview by Flower, or his talk about "SA not making the mistake England made and getting after the old ball" despite the fact they did nothing of the kind.

I'm not the only one getting annoyed about KP_fan.

DouglasJardinesbox wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:

Fists of Fury wrote:I just wish they'd strike whilst the iron is hot, Mike. I hate this talk of not doing anything until they have time etc.

Nope, don't agree at all. Best to let things cool off, everyone have a think about it and then calmly set about resolving the situation.

KP_fan, please don't bother answering my posts, nothing you have to say interests me in the slightest until you show that you have anything useful to contribute.

I'll translate: Don't dare disagree with my opinions. If you do, I'll ignore you like a 6 year old in the play ground.

Some very valid points there KP_Fan. Been saying it since the 'private' meeting held by KP and the ECB or whoever, was leaked. Double standards everywhere you look. Don't forget, 'happy dressing rooms' win matches. Oops.

Ahh the leaked meeting information. Just throwing this out there but since we dont know who leaked the information, could it be possible that it was leaked by KP himself in a way to stir up trouble and make the ECB look bad?

Sits back and gets

I too find the whole continued repeating of KP fan annoying, he is just not prepared to listen as to why KP can not be in the team just yet.

His fellow ten players just do not trust him and do not want him in the team so the situation is untenable. Until they sit down and bash each other up a little, nothing will change.

But are you guys not endlessly repeating your view that he can't come back (yet or ever)? Works both ways.

I'm pretty sure KP's been a complete Tinkywinky, but this a bunch of highly paid men paid to play a game. It's not the SAS, and it's not a primary school team we are talking about. Time they all grew up. KP was possibly our only realistic chance on Monday if he caught fire. But all this rubbish took away the best chance we had. Over stuff all really. Kids.

He can very well come back, I've never denied this. There are certain things that KP needs to do first however.

The difference KP_Fan refuses to acknowledge any argument and continues to make ludicrous allegations against the ECB, Strauss and Flower. Its the same thing over and over, and its really boring now.

It is {from what i have read}the view of every ex-pro and knowledgable commentator that he can not be in the team yet.

That is enough for me. Like it or not, that is how it is.

skyeman wrote:It is {from what i have read}the view of every ex-pro and knowledgable commentator that he can not be in the team yet.

That is enough for me. Like it or not, that is how it is.

Darren Gough and Mark Butcher disgree, although KP supporters are in the minority, granted.

Mike Selig wrote:

Fists of Fury wrote:I just wish they'd strike whilst the iron is hot, Mike. I hate this talk of not doing anything until they have time etc.

Nope, don't agree at all. Best to let things cool off, everyone have a think about it and then calmly set about resolving the situation.

KP_fan, please don't bother answering my posts, nothing you have to say interests me in the slightest until you show that you have anything useful to contribute.

My friend when I find your posts ridiculous, which I sometimes do, I just ignore and move on.
When I find something illogical and I believe it should be refuted, I do so. It's not only for you to read, dozens others also read and man buy into the arguments made to counter the illogical.
Once you post, you don't own it , the forum does and anyone can respond within the rules of the forum.
These are rules 101 of any forum.

Therefor your requests ( or commands) do not matter, I may respond to you and I may not.
I do not respond to the poster but the content.
Regards

I thought Strauss rather than Flower handled the KP questions better, Flower would have well better not to refer to the said texts, investigation, and stuff. But in genral I found him speaking some sense, and first time since he was dropped I have a feeling KP would not be completely lost to international cricket.
And Skyeman not every expert would go with the Cull KP Brigade. I hade posted a link earlier, an interesting article from Sambit Bal, the cricinfo editer.

msp83 wrote:I thought Strauss rather than Flower handled the KP questions better, Flower would have well better not to refer to the said texts, investigation, and stuff. But in genral I found him speaking some sense, and first time since he was dropped I have a feeling KP would not be completely lost to international cricket.
And Skyeman not every expert would go with the Cull KP Brigade. I hade posted a link earlier, an interesting article from Sambit Bal, the cricinfo editer.

.
No of course not msp, but about 90% do believe that there was no choice but to drop him. Does kind of tell me that the other 10% may be wrong.

And as esteemed as Sambit Bal may be in his field, he has never been a player in a top-flight dressing room with no trust and such disharmony.

mere numbers alone can't constitute truth. Don't think there is a black or white clearcut case here, and players, players who has had previous experience playing alongside and captaining Pietersen, such as Michael Vaughan too had called for perspective and balance throughout the saga.

msp83 wrote:mere numbers alone can't constitute truth. Don't think there is a black or white clearcut case here, and players, players who has had previous experience playing alongside and captaining Pietersen, such as Michael Vaughan too had called for perspective and balance throughout the saga.

Vaughan, also said he should have been dropped and the ECB had no choice.

He said a lot of other things prior to that.

And the last six England captains have agreed with the ECB. Are they all wrong.

Nearly every fan wants him back quickly, as more than likely does Flower. Talks, bish bash and then some sort of compromise. Everyone happy, sort of


Before someone says it, not KP {captain}

My last and final take on this.

KP had some very legitimate concerns over the schedule and from my point of view was brushed aside by the ECB. Enough to pee most of us off.

KP then decided to use his standing (somewhat projected) in the game to force a change. Very ill advised

The ECB became incredibly stubborn. Understandable but not in the best interests of English cricket and the fans.

KP completely lost the plot and went on the attack. After realising this was a slightly dumb decision, made a U-Turn on his career to try and win as much support as he could.

Both parties have been/are incredibly stupid in this whole affair. In normal life, if you take on your employer you will lose, even if right. The only looser in this is the fans.

Me too, done and dusted on this subject, but i will do the hat thing and bet KP will be back for India.

eirebilly wrote:My last and final take on this.

KP had some very legitimate concerns over the schedule and from my point of view was brushed aside by the ECB. Enough to pee most of us off.

KP then decided to use his standing (somewhat projected) in the game to force a change. Very ill advised

The ECB became incredibly stubborn. Understandable but not in the best interests of English cricket and the fans.

KP completely lost the plot and went on the attack. After realising this was a slightly dumb decision, made a U-Turn on his career to try and win as much support as he could.

Both parties have been/are incredibly stupid in this whole affair. In normal life, if you take on your employer you will lose, even if right. The only looser in this is the fans.

As good and fair a summary as I've seen anywhere E-Billy. Respect.

Flower elaborates on his flimsy statements of yesterday ( perhaps stung by the criticism on the net) and asks for an IPL Window:
accepts man mangement failure as his responsibility....

Not entirely unbiassed but so far the statement with strongest semblance of balance from the ECB camp....
gives me some hope


Flower also joined those calling for a window in the international schedule for the IPL, though he conceded there was little realistic hope of that at present.

"I think it's fair to say that Kevin's issues over being available for the entire IPL have changed his attitude," Flower said. "I think that was the catalyst for a lot of the stuff.

"The IPL and the international fixtures in England are an area of conflict. And it will continue to be an area of conflict in the future. It would be better if there was a very clear window prior to our international season starting. But it doesn't look like that is an issue that is going to be sorted out in the future so it may well recur."

Flower did accept responsibility for some failures of man management within the England set up, but insisted that Pietersen was guilty of far more serious errors of judgement.

"You are questioning whether he has been managed properly," Flower said. "I suppose it's fair to ask that question. I think that's what we've been doing over the years. There are certain behaviours that are unacceptable and I think we've seen some of that just recently. So to move forward we must get over those hurdles.

"If you are asking if we take some responsibility for it I'm quite happy to take responsibility for a number of issues if that is the case. I don't think text messages from an England player to South African players with some of the content I've heard that is in them is my responsibility.

"I think one issue that I could have handled better is when I heard that some of the players were occasionally looking at that Twitter account that had been set up by some England supporter, or Nottingham supporter. I could have nipped that in the bud earlier.

"But let's just be perfectly clear on the severity of the situation. There is one thing a few players having a giggle at a Twitter account, there is another on some of the issues that we have seen rear their heads over the last two weeks. It is not just about the text messages, there are other issues to be resolved."

Flower confirmed that the ECB had approached officials with the South Africa touring team with a view to being shown the text messages Pietersen sent to their players that are alleged to have contained derogatory comments about England captain Andrew Strauss, but insisted the issue extended deeper than a mere spat between two senior players.

"The issue is not specifically between the captain and Pietersen," Flower said. "There are a number of unresolved issues and it would be inaccurate to judge it as just an issue between those two.

"At this juncture there's no meeting in the diary. We've just finished this Test match. I understand some people would like this resolved overnight, but I don't think it is something that can be resolved overnight if we want to go about it properly. There are a number of outstanding issues to be resolved. An example of that would be finding out exactly what these text messages contained if we do really want to move forward either way.

"I think face to face and man to man, where you can look people in the eye, is always the best way to resolve most issues. I think these things should remain private. I don't think they should be played out in the media so leaking information, using PR agencies etc to resolve this issue is not the correct way to go about it.

"I'm not sure of exactly the best way to investigate it, to be honest. We've tried to focus on playing cricket leading up to this Test match which is how this Test series should have been. It's really sad for everyone involved the focus wasn't on playing cricket here."

Flower was quite clear that Pietersen's current apology - either the YouTube video or the letter sent through his management company - was inadequate and did not constitute a resolution to the situation. He also hinted that it was hard to see the issue being resolved before central contracts are offered to players, which is likely to happen before the team departs for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in mid-September. That suggests Pietersen may well not be considered for England's tour of India. He confirmed that Pietersen would not be offered a central contract until the issues were resolved.


"He sent an apology via his agent to the ECB," Flower said. "If you are going to move on from situations such as this you need to know exactly what situation you are moving on from. So I think we need to get to the bottom of some of this speculation and rumours before we move on.


"Regardless of central contracts, I wouldn't like to put a time frame on it because that might unrealistic. To resolve certain issues of trust and mutual respect, it might take longer than that. I would rather not speculate [on whether Pietersen may have played his last game for England]. But he was speculating on it during the Test series, so there is a chance I suppose.

England's one-day side has shown it can flourish in the absence of Pietersen with Ian Bell slotting into the openers' role, while Alex Hales made 99 in the Twenty20 against West Indies. Flower believes that, if the situation is not resolved, the Test team can move back to the top of the rankings without Pietersen.

"Without a doubt," he said. "English cricket has a great history and it has a great future. It is bigger than any one player. You will always move on from anyone, whether it be a captain, a coach or a player. I think the most important thing is that we do the right thing for England cricket. That's how we will make our decision.

"We try to make decisions that are in the best interests of the England cricket team or English cricket. That is what I've tried to do since I joined this team and that's what I will continue to do."

I overslept this morning so had to skip breakfast.

Lunch will be the usual sandwiches, although the chocolate spread has been replaced by peanut butter, and the nectarine by a plumb (british, despite being more expensive than the spanish ones - how does that work anyway) and tomato (spanish, do the british do tomatoes? Not near where I'm living it would seem) for variety.

I haven't yet decided on dinner, so there's a post to look forward to to break up the tedium later on.