The cricket board in England release a statement blaming the chat show host.
The furore surrounding Kevin Pietersen’s sacking from the England cricket team has taken another bizarre twist as the ECB blame journalist Piers Morgan.
The former editor of the Daily Mirror and current chat show host is extremely active on Twitter and has been tweeting support for Pietersen ever since the announcement was made.
Morgan criticised many people from both the ECB and the senior Test side, including captain Alastair Cook, former coach Andy Flowers and wicket-keeper Matt Prior.
In a surprising development the ECB has now responded with a statement about this criticism from the journalist and other prominent figures in the media.
“It has been a matter of great frustration that until now the England and Wales Cricket Board has been unable to respond to the unwarranted and unpleasant criticism of England players and the ECB itself, which has provided an unwelcome backdrop to the recent negotiations to release Kevin Pietersen from his central contract,” the statement read.
“However, the England team needs to rebuild after the whitewash in Australia.
To do that we must invest in our captain Alastair Cook and we must support him in creating a culture in which we can be confident he will have the full support of all players, with everyone pulling in the same direction and able to trust each other.
“It is for those reasons that we have decided to move on without Kevin Pietersen.
“Following the announcement of that decision, allegations have been made, some from people outside cricket, which as well as attacking the rationale of the ECB’s decision-making, have questioned, without justification, the integrity of the England Team Director and some of England’s players.
“Clearly what happens in the dressing room or team meetings should remain in that environment and not be distributed to people not connected with the team.
“Whilst respecting that principle, it is important to stress that Andy Flower, Alastair Cook and Matt Prior, who have all been singled out for uninformed and unwarranted criticism, retain the total confidence and respect of all the other members of the Ashes party.
“These are men who care deeply about the fortunes of the England team and its image, and it is ironic that they were the people who led the reintegration of Kevin Pietersen into the England squad in 2012.”
Unsurprisngly Morgan has taken to Twitter to respond to the accusations.
BREAKING NEWS: It’s all MY fault! The ECB sacked @KP24 for stuff I revealed AFTER he was sacked!
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 9, 2014
How can the @ECB_cricket claim they sacked @KP24 for revelations I made AFTER he was sacked. Can someone explain? I’m confused.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 9, 2014
Sorry for getting you sacked mate @KP24 – how silly of me!
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 9, 2014
It is clear that this outburst from the ECB has been seen as archaic and childish by much of the sporting world, who have also given their opinion on the matter.
I might ask the @ECB_cricket to sack Fletcher and a few players for leaking stuff about me which happened in team meetings and in private !
— fred flintoff (@flintoff11) February 9, 2014
How dare you get @KP24 the sack @piersmorgan . Hang your head in shame!
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 9, 2014
What exactly is “outside cricket” ? Is there a list of who’s inside and who’s outside?
— Elizabeth (@legsidelizzy) February 9, 2014
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