Ashes 2013/14

[eastie]

@MichaelVaughan: Talk of @KP24 squaring up to Ali Cook in the Sydney dressing room are utter lies...Someone from @ECB_cricket needs to speak soon

[OCD]

I think it was right for KP to take a bit of time away from the test team but it was very wrong for us to definitively say his England career is over. It reminds me of when McClaren basically said that Beckham's England career is over. The door should always be open if a player proves that he can still be an asset. A bit of time away from the test team and we could have started assembling the core of a team and then a fresh KP could have come back in to add to that. Just feels like such a waste of talent and we're not exactly spoiled for choice.

[PaulWinch again]

Thing that concerns me is the captain should be able to use any player in the team. He shouldn't be dictating who is in the team. We need to be a much more proactive and exciting team, and I fear Cook apparently getting rid of KP may be symbolic of the opposite of that.

[eastie]

The thing i find odd is we do not have a new coach in place so surely he should be the man to decide on kp unless they have already earmarked Giles for the job .

Agnew believes kp has been paid up in full for his contract in a bid to keep things quiet but I expect the truth will come out at some stage.

[PaulWinch again]

I hope so, because if it's that Cook can't manage him then what happens if Cook doesn't like someone else?

[paul_e]

My concern is that, given Cook's form as a test opener in 2013, it's a bit much to put such stock in his opinion as to permanently drop one of the finest batsmen in the world.

[PaulWinch again]

My concern is that, given Cook's form as a test opener in 2013, it's a bit much to put such stock in his opinion as to permanently drop one of the finest batsmen in the world.

Well this is it, if Cook has another poor summer then how long do you look at how good he was a couple of years ago?

[PaulWinch again]

Thus far I've seen nothing to suggest this is anything other than using our atrocious Ashes performance as an excuse to get rid of someone that they couldn't manage properly.

[Monty]

My concern is that, given Cook's form as a test opener in 2013, it's a bit much to put such stock in his opinion as to permanently drop one of the finest batsmen in the world.

I agree. It's almost as if Cook doesn't want competition in the runscoring records, or resents someone who scores quicker than a run every four balls. Of course that's not the case, but we need to move away from the dour, chippy cricket which characterises us under Cook, and the best attacking batsman in the country would seem to be a good place to start trying to make our cricket more proactive.

[eastie]

@Aggerscricket: Busy day at rumour mill: Jessica Yaylor (KP wife) denies stand up row with Cook. Cook emerges as adamant that time to move on without KP…

@Aggerscricket: …after strongly supporting his return after text gate. Meetings in Oz in which KP spoke up for others re declining standards in preparation

[paul_e]

@Aggerscricket: Busy day at rumour mill: Jessica Yaylor (KP wife) denies stand up row with Cook. Cook emerges as adamant that time to move on without KP…

@Aggerscricket: …after strongly supporting his return after text gate. Meetings in Oz in which KP spoke up for others re declining standards in preparation

This sounds on the money to me, we've toured badly for a few years now, I can imagine KP being straight to the point in blaming the preparation and defending the fringe players.

[PaulWinch again]

@Aggerscricket: Busy day at rumour mill: Jessica Yaylor (KP wife) denies stand up row with Cook. Cook emerges as adamant that time to move on without KP…

@Aggerscricket: …after strongly supporting his return after text gate. Meetings in Oz in which KP spoke up for others re declining standards in preparation

This sounds on the money to me, we've toured badly for a few years now, I can imagine KP being straight to the point in blaming the preparation and defending the fringe players.

Yep and if that's true it stands up to why we've been piss poor at the start of series. KP was probably bang on the money.

[eastie]

Morgan and kp are good mates so its interesting he's tweeting this -

@piersmorgan: The younger players in England team love @KP24 . It's the older ones who didn't get IPL deals who resent him - they want his cash & talent.

@piersmorgan: You stabbed @KP24 in the back @MattPrior13 - yet you agreed with him re Flower's dictator style. Makes you a flaming hypocrite

@piersmorgan: I'm about to tweet what @MattPrior13 told England players in team meeting after Melbourne Test.

@piersmorgan: 'Flower's behaving like a headmaster, this is a schoolboy environment. F**K Flower! This is OUR team!' - @MattPrior13 to England team.


@piersmorgan: If you didn't say it @MattPrior13 - then sue me. That should clear things up.

[olaftab]

F**k Piers Morgan.

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah I think it's wrong what happened to KP, but I don't care what Morgan thinks.