Here we go....
Andy Flower's future as director of the England team may hinge on whether the selectors and the new managing director see an international future for Kevin Pietersen as the side looks to regenerate after the 5-0 whitewash in the Ashes series.
Although Paul Downton, who only took over at the start of the month following the retirement of Hugh Morris, has yet to begin his own assessment of the situation Flower, who has to take ultimate responsibility for the overwhelming defeat, has notionally already been given the backing of his employer, the England and Wales Cricket Board. It is believed, moreover, that both Flower and the captain Alastair Cook are likely to get Downton's official backing.
However, so adamant is Flower that the presence of Pietersen in the dressing room is detrimental to the future development of the side that he is believed to be prepared to resign his position should Downton, James Whitaker, the new national selector, and Cook – if he retains the captaincy – insist that Pietersen should be a part of that process.
Pietersen and Flower have issues that go back at least to early summer 2012 when, without warning, the batsman declared himself unavailable for one-day international matches. Following what were considered inappropriate text messages to the South Africa team regarding the then England captain Andrew Strauss, which subsequently contributed to his retirement. Pietersen was omitted from the final Test of the summer and it was not until the tour of India that winter that he was reintegrated into the side.
In Mumbai on that tour he played one of the great Test innings to help kickstart a revival that led to a memorable series win for Cook and England.
However, it has always seemed an uneasy truce and on this tour, despite his assurances before his 100th Test in Brisbane that he was committed to England to 2015 and beyond, it is thought that Pietersen's influence in the dressing room has been divisive.
He is one of many who failed to score big runs during the Ashes series, top scoring although with only 294 runs at an average of 29.4 but, as a senior player, the nature of a number of his dismissals when apparently batting comfortably has led to some strong exchanges. Flower is thought to believe that the future development of the team can only happen without Pietersen.
In the wake of speculation that he might retire from Test cricket after the Ashes Pietersen, who is very media-savvy, has already tweeted a reiteration of his desire to continue at least until the end of the next Ashes series, and perhaps into the series in South Africa, the only country in which he has yet to score a Test hundred. He also wants to be the first England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs.
It will not be a function of whether he wants to retire, though, but of whether England want him.
It could be that things come to a head earlier following this year's auction for the Indian Premier League, which is due to take place on 12 February. Pietersen is a marquee player who has performed for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and, in 2012, Delhi Daredevils. He missed the sixth edition of IPL in 2013 because of a knee injury and is now out of contract.
The latest contracts are expected to be offered for three years and Pietersen, a brilliant player and immensely popular in India, would be expected to fetch a price at the highest end of the scale and as such would be extremely lucrative.
But it is thought that the contracts will be contingent on full availability for all three seasons, something that would not tie in with the potential demands of England cricket.
Flower, should he retain his position, will probably insist that with most places up for grabs in the team to play Sri Lanka in June, potential batsmen play a significant number of the eight county championship matches that precede the series.
It is hard to see how Pietersen would be willing to compromise on this over three years given the rewards on offer and the fact that he will be 34 in June, with a history of injury, and as such understandably keen to maximise his earnings.
In that circumstance his retirement from international cricket, rather than Flower's resignation, would seem the likeliest outcome.
Although Paul Downton, who only took over at the start of the month following the retirement of Hugh Morris, has yet to begin his own assessment of the situation Flower, who has to take ultimate responsibility for the overwhelming defeat, has notionally already been given the backing of his employer, the England and Wales Cricket Board. It is believed, moreover, that both Flower and the captain Alastair Cook are likely to get Downton's official backing.
However, so adamant is Flower that the presence of Pietersen in the dressing room is detrimental to the future development of the side that he is believed to be prepared to resign his position should Downton, James Whitaker, the new national selector, and Cook – if he retains the captaincy – insist that Pietersen should be a part of that process.
Pietersen and Flower have issues that go back at least to early summer 2012 when, without warning, the batsman declared himself unavailable for one-day international matches. Following what were considered inappropriate text messages to the South Africa team regarding the then England captain Andrew Strauss, which subsequently contributed to his retirement. Pietersen was omitted from the final Test of the summer and it was not until the tour of India that winter that he was reintegrated into the side.
In Mumbai on that tour he played one of the great Test innings to help kickstart a revival that led to a memorable series win for Cook and England.
However, it has always seemed an uneasy truce and on this tour, despite his assurances before his 100th Test in Brisbane that he was committed to England to 2015 and beyond, it is thought that Pietersen's influence in the dressing room has been divisive.
He is one of many who failed to score big runs during the Ashes series, top scoring although with only 294 runs at an average of 29.4 but, as a senior player, the nature of a number of his dismissals when apparently batting comfortably has led to some strong exchanges. Flower is thought to believe that the future development of the team can only happen without Pietersen.
In the wake of speculation that he might retire from Test cricket after the Ashes Pietersen, who is very media-savvy, has already tweeted a reiteration of his desire to continue at least until the end of the next Ashes series, and perhaps into the series in South Africa, the only country in which he has yet to score a Test hundred. He also wants to be the first England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs.
It will not be a function of whether he wants to retire, though, but of whether England want him.
It could be that things come to a head earlier following this year's auction for the Indian Premier League, which is due to take place on 12 February. Pietersen is a marquee player who has performed for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and, in 2012, Delhi Daredevils. He missed the sixth edition of IPL in 2013 because of a knee injury and is now out of contract.
The latest contracts are expected to be offered for three years and Pietersen, a brilliant player and immensely popular in India, would be expected to fetch a price at the highest end of the scale and as such would be extremely lucrative.
But it is thought that the contracts will be contingent on full availability for all three seasons, something that would not tie in with the potential demands of England cricket.
Flower, should he retain his position, will probably insist that with most places up for grabs in the team to play Sri Lanka in June, potential batsmen play a significant number of the eight county championship matches that precede the series.
It is hard to see how Pietersen would be willing to compromise on this over three years given the rewards on offer and the fact that he will be 34 in June, with a history of injury, and as such understandably keen to maximise his earnings.
In that circumstance his retirement from international cricket, rather than Flower's resignation, would seem the likeliest outcome.
Comment