Pietersen Will Get His Say in Brave New World Under Strauss
Andrew Strauss, the new England captain, revealed his philosophy of personal responsibility as Kevin Pietersen is appointed to the players' committee
Andrew Strauss revealed his Big Idea for England's beleaguered cricketers yesterday. It is the need for "personal responsibility" and there was even a little bit of responsibility for Kevin Pietersen, the captain who flew too close to the sun. Pietersen will join a reconstituted players' committee for the one-day series. It is probably not something he ever dreamed of, but it all adds to the healing process.
A few more extreme elements in cricket officialdom might have preferred a community-service order after his display of player power forced the ECB to sack the coach, Peter Moores, and also to demand his own resignation as captain. But the odds are that Pietersen will be rewriting honors boards, not rubbing out graffiti, long before the end of the West Indies tour.
No England player arrived at Gatwick yesterday looking in more relaxed mood. "I have never seen Kevin show a negative side since the first day I met him," said Strauss of the man he has supplanted as captain. "He is a very positive person. He doesn't dwell on what has happened."
The players' committee was successful during Duncan Fletcher's tenure as coach when it improved communication lines between the coaching team and the players. The dangers of what Strauss referred to yesterday as a "them-and-us" atmosphere should not be underestimated; England's army of coaches and advisers is so large that it provides its own social group.
Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad will sit on the players' committee in the Test series, with Pietersen replacing Cook thereafter.
"It is a case of gradually reintroducing him," Strauss said. "I think looking forward he is going to have a very big role but he has had a lot on his plate recently and he needs to concentrate on his batting. It was very important that KP was on the committee in the one-day leg. He has been captain in one-day cricket when I haven't been involved. He has a lot to offer in one-day cricket. It is important that we involve him as much as possible.
"The players' committee is a great way for the management to get feedback. The last thing I want is a them-and-us atmosphere in the dressing room. The senior players have very strong thoughts upon how we should go forward."
England will also confirm a vice-captain before the start of the first Test in Jamaica. Strauss depicted it as someone to lead if he happened to leave the field, but a vice-captain can also act as a conduit between players and captain and it is another attempt to address potential fault lines.
But it is Strauss's philosophy of personal development that will be at the heart of his captaincy. He has unraveled the Moores regime almost overnight. He insisted that "the coaches will play a little bit more of an advisory/consultancy role'' and asserted that discussions with Andy Flower, the stand-in coach, had gone well.
He said: "My belief is that we want to see players who are able to think on their feet in the middle, take responsibility for the situation and the only way we can do that is for them to take responsibility off the pitch as well.
"I am challenging my players to think about what they need to do in preparation and I am giving them a little bit more flexibility to do that. It is vitally important that players are challenged to think for themselves. I'm going to trust them to prepare themselves. They will use the coaches as little or as much as they feel necessary. If we give players responsibility to prepare as they see fit then it's important that they recognise they are responsible for the results on the pitch as well."
Pietersen believed much the same. But for him, it would have come out all wrong and sounded like "I want my own way". For Strauss, it becomes a learned discussion about "taking ownership". That is one reason why Pietersen failed and Strauss has the potential to succeed.
A few more extreme elements in cricket officialdom might have preferred a community-service order after his display of player power forced the ECB to sack the coach, Peter Moores, and also to demand his own resignation as captain. But the odds are that Pietersen will be rewriting honors boards, not rubbing out graffiti, long before the end of the West Indies tour.
No England player arrived at Gatwick yesterday looking in more relaxed mood. "I have never seen Kevin show a negative side since the first day I met him," said Strauss of the man he has supplanted as captain. "He is a very positive person. He doesn't dwell on what has happened."
The players' committee was successful during Duncan Fletcher's tenure as coach when it improved communication lines between the coaching team and the players. The dangers of what Strauss referred to yesterday as a "them-and-us" atmosphere should not be underestimated; England's army of coaches and advisers is so large that it provides its own social group.
Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad will sit on the players' committee in the Test series, with Pietersen replacing Cook thereafter.
"It is a case of gradually reintroducing him," Strauss said. "I think looking forward he is going to have a very big role but he has had a lot on his plate recently and he needs to concentrate on his batting. It was very important that KP was on the committee in the one-day leg. He has been captain in one-day cricket when I haven't been involved. He has a lot to offer in one-day cricket. It is important that we involve him as much as possible.
"The players' committee is a great way for the management to get feedback. The last thing I want is a them-and-us atmosphere in the dressing room. The senior players have very strong thoughts upon how we should go forward."
England will also confirm a vice-captain before the start of the first Test in Jamaica. Strauss depicted it as someone to lead if he happened to leave the field, but a vice-captain can also act as a conduit between players and captain and it is another attempt to address potential fault lines.
But it is Strauss's philosophy of personal development that will be at the heart of his captaincy. He has unraveled the Moores regime almost overnight. He insisted that "the coaches will play a little bit more of an advisory/consultancy role'' and asserted that discussions with Andy Flower, the stand-in coach, had gone well.
He said: "My belief is that we want to see players who are able to think on their feet in the middle, take responsibility for the situation and the only way we can do that is for them to take responsibility off the pitch as well.
"I am challenging my players to think about what they need to do in preparation and I am giving them a little bit more flexibility to do that. It is vitally important that players are challenged to think for themselves. I'm going to trust them to prepare themselves. They will use the coaches as little or as much as they feel necessary. If we give players responsibility to prepare as they see fit then it's important that they recognise they are responsible for the results on the pitch as well."
Pietersen believed much the same. But for him, it would have come out all wrong and sounded like "I want my own way". For Strauss, it becomes a learned discussion about "taking ownership". That is one reason why Pietersen failed and Strauss has the potential to succeed.
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