Jan 8, 2009

Sport - Cricket;Strauss to replace Pietersen as England skipper

London, Jan 7 (PTI) Opening batsman Andrew Strauss is set to take over as captain of the England cricket team after current skipper Kevin Pietersen and coach Peter Moores resigned from their jobs earlier in the day, leaving English cricket in an unexpected crisis. According to media reports England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has accepted the resignations of Pietersen and Moores, who put down their papers after ECB snubbed them for making their spats over the team selection issues public.

According to a Sky Sports News report, both the coach and the captain stepped down from the posts after their fragile working relationship reached its breaking point ahead of the West Indies tour. "The ECB are believed to have held an emergency tele-conference of their 12-man executive board on Tuesday evening to discuss the rift between coach and captain.

The outcome of those discussions appears to have prompted both men to quit. "Andy Flower, who worked as batting coach under Moores, is set to be interim coach in the Caribbean, with opening batsman Andrew Strauss favourite to be named captain," a report said.

Strauss, who hit back-to-back centuries during England's recent recent Test tour India, has captained England before. The ECB executive board held a teleconference late last night during which Hugh Moriss, the managing director of England cricket, was handed a mandate to take drastic action.

It appears Morris has canvassed the England players and backroom staff and that there was not a consensus of support behind the captain. PTI

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