This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/08/paul-downton-england-leaves-managing-director-post

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Paul Downton sacked as managing director of England cricket team Paul Downton sacked as managing director of England cricket team
(about 1 hour later)
Paul Downton has been sacked as the England managing director after 14 months in the job by the new England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison. England are set for a change of leadership after their managing director, Paul Downton, was sacked on Wednesday evening by the new England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Tom Harrison, after just 14 months in the job.
The positions of Downton, the national selector James Whitaker and the head coach Peter Moores – currently in the Caribbean with the senior side – have all been questioned following a harrowing Cricket World Cup group stage exit in Australia and New Zealand in March and a year of off-field angst that has followed the decision to cancel Kevin Pietersen’s central contract. The national selector James Whitaker looks set to follow Downton out of the exit door, with both men held to account for England’s disastrous group stage exit from the Cricket World Cup and a pubic relations nightmare that has followed the decision to cancel Kevin Pietersen’s central contract in February last year.
And now, before Wednesday’s board meeting at the ECB offices – the last to be chaired by Giles Clarke before he is replaced by the incoming Colin Graves in May – Downton has been told his position is no longer required. Harrison, who will present his review into the World Cup at the meeting, will now create a new management structure that includes a director of England cricket, one which the former England captain Michael Vaughan told Sky Sports he would be willing to consider. “I’m always open to chats about the future of English cricket. They’ve got my phone number,” he said. The head coach, Peter Moores, currently in the Caribbean with the senior side, is understood to retain greater support at ECB board level and among the current players, despite struggling to produce results since being appointed for his second spell as head coach last April. “This doesn’t impact Peter Moores’ position at all. This is with respect to delivering an environment for the future,” Harrison said.
Harrison said in a statement: “The England Cricket Department needs to deliver performance at the highest level and our structure needs to be accountable for reaching the standards we aspire to. The new role we are putting in place will deliver an environment where world class performance is at the heart of everything we do. It is a swift and decisive move by Harrison, who began his own role in January and on Thursday will present to the board the findings of his review into England’s harrowing campaign in Australia and New Zealand. Before that scheduled meeting, he informed Downton that his services would no longer be required and the position of MD had been made redundant.
Instead, the ECB will restructure its management with the creation of a new director of cricket England. The former England captain Michael Vaughan is known to be in the mix although Harrison and the incoming chairman, Colin Graves, are aware that his lucrative media commitments may prove a stumbling block.
“I’m always open to chats about the future of English cricket,” said Vaughan, when pressed on his own interest during an appearance on Sky Sports News. “They’ve got my phone number.”
Harrison, a former broadcasting rights expert at the IMG media company, has been working with Graves on a shakeup of English cricket since replacing David Collier, with the domestic structure and the bloated National Academy at Loughborough both high on his to-do list.
But the 43-year-old was forced to act first on the senior men’s side after witnessing such a disastrous World Cup from afar that followed Alastair Cook’s replacement as one-day captain by Eoin Morgan on the eve of the tournament.
“The England cricket department needs to deliver performance at the highest level and our structure needs to be accountable for reaching the standards we aspire to,” said Harrison, in a statement on Wednesday that explained the decision to remove Downton. “The new role we are putting in place will deliver an environment where world-class performance is at the heart of everything we do.
“Paul is a man of great integrity who has worked extremely hard to make a difference at the ECB,” added Harrison. “He joined at a very difficult time, but under his leadership the Test team have made significant strides. We thank him for his hard work, drive and determination and wish him every success for the future.”“Paul is a man of great integrity who has worked extremely hard to make a difference at the ECB,” added Harrison. “He joined at a very difficult time, but under his leadership the Test team have made significant strides. We thank him for his hard work, drive and determination and wish him every success for the future.”
The former Kent wicketkeeper Downton was appointed to replace the outgoing Hugh Morris in October 2013 following a post-playing career in the City but did not officially start his role until February the following year, by which time England had endured a train-wreck 5-0 Ashes whitewash at the hands of Australia. Asked later whether Downton’s removal could facilitate a return for Pietersen, Harrison added: “This is not about that issue. Today is about the future of cricket. Today is about where this organisation is set to go over the next four to five years.
His first act, at the behest of his employers, was the controversial decision to remove Pietersen from the set-up, resulting in the batsman’s central contract being paid up in full. The terms of the severance package saw both the ECB and Pietersen bound by a confidentially agreement until the end of September. “Today has been a very tough day for the ECB and we’ve made a tough decision on a highly respected member of staff but ultimately we’re doing that with the future in mind and with absolute commitment to deliver change through the game which puts us on a sound footing to broaden our audience and to deliver successful England teams.”
Downton was originally appointed to replace the outgoing Hugh Morris in October 2013 after a post-playing career in the City but did not officially start his role until February the following year, by which time England had endured a train-wreck 5-0 Ashes whitewash.
His first act, at the behest of his employers, was the controversial decision to remove Pietersen from the set-up, resulting in the batsman’s central contract being paid up in full. Under the terms of the severance package both the ECB and Pietersen were bound by a confidentially agreement until the end of September.
But later that summer Downton was forced to issue a public apology to the batsman after an interview with BBC’s Test Match Special, in which he claimed Pietersen had been “disinterested” and “distracted” during his final Test in Sydney and that the senior players supported the move.But later that summer Downton was forced to issue a public apology to the batsman after an interview with BBC’s Test Match Special, in which he claimed Pietersen had been “disinterested” and “distracted” during his final Test in Sydney and that the senior players supported the move.
Whitaker, as national selector, is similarly under pressure given England’s failure to beat a fellow full-member side during the World Cup. A bungled interview given to the BBC, when announcing the squad for the Caribbean last month, has also seen his ability to communicate selections to the public queried behind closed doors. Downton’s final PR disaster came in the aftermath of the World Cup, when he admitted he was “struck by the influence of Twenty20 cricket” on the 50-over game during a run-soaked tournament. It showed a man out of touch with the modern game.
Moores is understood to retain greater support at board level, despite struggling to produce results since being appointed for his second spell as head coach last April. Whitaker, who replaced Geoff Miller as national selector in October 2013, has also struggled in front of the cameras and a bungled interview given to the BBC, when announcing the squad for the Caribbean last month, is understood to have led to his ability to communicate selections to the public being queried behind closed doors.
“It’s inevitable there would be change – but there’s a deeper rooted problem within England cricket,” added former captain Vaughan on Wednesday. “Removing one man doesn’t make us go in the direction of being the No1 side in the world.
“A cultural change needs to happen. In Test cricket we are all right but the Kevin Pietersen issue has been a debacle from the start right through until now. The World Cup was a disaster because of the way the team played. Many fingers were pointed at the backroom team but 15 players didn’t play to the standard they’d expect and it’s important they take responsibility.
“This is going back 20 years. We’re dated and always chase the game. Teams like South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and India are some distance away from the way England are playing at the moment.”