Shut your eyes and think of England.

[sussexpob]

Tremlett and Carberry at length supported Pietersen, and were critical of the coaches. Pietersen has also been backed in print by Panesar, Swann, Anderson, Bairstow, Tredwell, Trott and Root, to varying degrees. And coaches Saker and Giles.

and now the ECB have referred the article that Carberry spoke out about the lack of team communication, and the shock of KP being dropped, to the Press Complaints Commission on the grounds the Guardian have been one sided.

Are the ECB now even trying to shut off the press from freely printing criticisms of the team, from their own players being honest? Its been referred because "they felt it was not showing their side of the story"????

So Downton leaking information to his friends, who just so happen to have surrounded KP like wolves from day one, is quite adequately fair, but an article that doesn't say the ECB are the best thing ever is unbalanced?

[SaintPowelly]

They've actually reported it because Carberry said he felt he has always had a shorter rope than others when it comes to England selection, and it was the same when he was in junior cricket. ECB view it as being expressed in a way that implies racism ( which it does )

[sussexpob]

They've actually reported it because Carberry said he felt he has always had a shorter rope than others when it comes to England selection, and it was the same when he was in junior cricket. ECB view it as being expressed in a way that implies racism ( which it does )

The article says they took offence at another cricket forum for posting article that extended that to imply racism, not the Guardian article.... they complained at that on a question of balance

[Arthur Crabtree]

Have you got a link to when Bell said he hadn't been ask AC. I thought I'd read all from him but can't remember that comment.[/quote]

No. A few people referred to and quoted from it on last night's discussion on the Guardian. Including bfb. One poster offers a quote to that effect.

[Arthur Crabtree]

[
Are the ECB now even trying to shut off the press from freely printing criticisms of the team, from their own players being honest? Its been referred because "they felt it was not showing their side of the story"????

So Downton leaking information to his friends, who just so happen to have surrounded KP like wolves from day one, is quite adequately fair, but an article that doesn't say the ECB are the best thing ever is unbalanced?

Pretty amazing stuff. Brassnecked.

[hopeforthebest]

Have you got a link to when Bell said he hadn't been ask AC. I thought I'd read all from him but can't remember that comment.

No. A few people referred to and quoted from it on last night's discussion on the Guardian. Including bfb. One poster offers a quote to that effect.[/quote]

Downton as a lawyer would call inadmissible evidence as it's just hearsay and he would be correct. So much written on CMS about these matters is unreliable, simply used to bolster a weak argument.

[hopeforthebest]

Statement from KP re Downton's interview.

http://twitpic.com/e4j92u

[Arthur Crabtree]

Downton as a lawyer would call inadmissible evidence as it's just hearsay and he would be correct. So much written on CMS about these matters is unreliable, simply used to bolster a weak argument.

I thought Downton was a banker?

If it was a court case, I'd expect it to be looked up. I remember Bell saying the same thing a few months back. It sounds like he said the same again. A number of different sources have said the same thing on this.

[hopeforthebest]

Downton as a lawyer would call inadmissible evidence as it's just hearsay and he would be correct. So much written on CMS about these matters is unreliable, simply used to bolster a weak argument.

I thought Downton was a banker?

If it was a court case, I'd expect it to be looked up. I remember Bell saying the same thing a few months back. It sounds like he said the same again. A number of different sources have said the same thing on this.

Before he became acrook investment banker, he took a law degree.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bell's interview was in the Evening Standard on Friday. He says he wasn't exposed to any problems with KP's behaviour, and discussion on the subject happened behind closed doors.

Downton isn't sounding all that lawyerly in his statements. He doesn't seem to know what 'disinterested' means. Quite cute of KP to change that to 'uninterested' in his statement tonight. Which was comparatively pretty classy.

[yuppie]

If the ECB want to move on from the KP situation, the best thing they can do is stop talking about it. Downtons comments would obviously get a response from KP. So why make them again. Just say enough has been said about KP and now its time to move on. England need to move on but it seems the ECB are still stuck in the past and KP wont go away because they keep talking about him. There would not have been this much of a fuss if he had stayed in the team. Indeed if he had stayed in the team maybe questions would be asked of other players and the set up that resulted in a 5-0 ashes loss.

The ECB just show themselves to be totally incompetent.....again.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I think the ECB keeps talking about it because they are convinced they have acted for the best and with integrity and they are unwilling to accept that most people don't see it that way. They believe that if the public was better informed, they would come round to the ECB's way of thinking. They are concerned with the image of their brand and want to stamp out thought that undermines it.

This happens a lot with the Tories. When there is public opposition to one of their bills, they think it is because the public needs educating to understand why the bill is necessary. It is a symptom of an unyielding arrogance.

[hopeforthebest]

The moment Downton agreed to be interviewed it was inevitable that the KP affair would be the main topic and if he had simply stonewalled and hidden behind a confidentially agreement he would have been even more heavily criticized. He would be damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

[D/L]

Bell's interview was in the Evening Standard on Friday. He says he wasn't exposed to any problems with KP's behaviour, and discussion on the subject happened behind closed doors.

Downton isn't sounding all that lawyerly in his statements. He doesn't seem to know what 'disinterested' means. Quite cute of KP to change that to 'uninterested' in his statement tonight. Which was comparatively pretty classy.

Or just showing a lack of intelligence. One of the most damning things said by Downton was, "I talked to every person on the management team and quite a few senior players, and I couldn't find one supporter who wanted Kevin to stay in the side." Imagine what may be said if all restrictions are eventually lifted.

The opposing claims seem believable on one side and unbelievable on the other and, when the believable ones are made by someone, who as far as we know, would not have shown disloyalty to the captain and his team behind their backs and constantly massaged his own ego, then they are the ones many would believe.

[D/L]

I think the ECB keeps talking about it because they are convinced they have acted for the best and with integrity and they are unwilling to accept that most people don't see it that way...

In fact, most people probably do see it that way.

I agree that the ECB should keep quiet and let the whole Pietersen era become nothing more than a bad, but distant, memory.