Plenty of positives
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
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England return home finally with something to show for eleven-and-a-half weeks in the Caribbean. Both Andrews, Strauss and Flower, had a massive task in just bringing some stability to a squad that would have taken sides in the dispute, been factional, and low in morale after the upheaval and a tough time in India, writes Mike Selvey in his blog on the Observer website.
Together, two understated but extremely tough individuals have left their mark, making hard decisions in pursuit of an ethic that involved less mollycoddling and more personal responsibility. None of this change would happen overnight, but the evidence is there that the cosy culture has been supplanted.
Stephen Brenkley in the Independent on Sunday believes that Flower and Strauss have forged a trusting bond. They probably do not agree on every little thing but they have a shared vision of how the team should progress based on hard work in training and individual responsibility. Hence, England must opt for Flower as coach if they are to prevent their Ashes dreams from turning into dust.
Whoever is appointed England team director (and Flower is the red-hot favourite going into this week’s interviews), he faces a daunting challenge over the next five months. He needs to arm the one-day team with some genuine firepower ahead of the World Twenty20 and find a bowling attack with the capacity to take 20 wickets a game in the Ashes. Simon Wilde in the Sunday Times has more.
Pietersen's approach to cricket is certainly not holistic. The book has closed on all the evidence that marks him out as an extreme individualist in a game of collective endeavour. Paul Hayward in his blog on the Observer website believes there is nothing wrong with that and it can be managed.
The more they try to reinvent him, the more his core characteristics reassert themselves in a jumble of complaining, homesickness, self-justification and undoubted gladiatorial pride.