Graham Gooch was today discarded as England batting coach as Kevin Pietersen took another swipe at his former colleagues.
As had been widely expected, Gooch — captain Alastair Cook’s long-term mentor — became one of the first casualties of new coach Peter Moores’s regime, as it was announced he would no longer be responsible for honing the skills of England’s players.
The news prompted Kevin Pietersen, who was sacked by England at the start of February, to send a cryptic message on Twitter. “Where do I apply for ENG batting coach job?” read the post on his account, @KP24. “I promise I won’t encourage whistling when you get out or trying to change the game.”
Pietersen’s reference to whistling was prompted by a report which suggested that was how the 33-year-old reacted to his dismissal in the final Ashes Test in Sydney last winter.
Standard Sport revealed last month that Moores wanted fewer coaches working with the England players during matches and in the build-up to them, and Gooch’s departure is a statement of intent in that respect.
It was a particularly difficult decision for Cook, who has worked with Gooch since his earliest days at Essex, and the former England captain has remained a confidant to the current one throughout his eight years as an international cricketer.
England insist they will encourage their players to continue to work with Gooch, although it is unclear at this stage whether they will appoint a new full-time batting coach to replace him. It is understood Moores and his No2, Paul Farbrace, will do the bulk of the coaching work.
At an event staged by the team’s sponsors, Waitrose, Cook said: “He has been so influential in my career and that made the decision tougher for me. But we need to freshen things up. Goochie will continue to be involved behind the scenes but not quite so much on matchdays.
“We need to thank Graham for what he has done. He has been a legend for all of our games and all the players hold him in very high regard.”
Moores has still to decide on the remainder of his backroom team as England build towards their first match under the new partnership at the top — next Friday’s one-day international against Scotland in Aberdeen.
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Moores added: “I have been talking to all the backroom staff. They have been nervous, waiting for some time, but the key is to sit everyone down, work together and get back on track.
“Graham Gooch’s work with some of the players should carry on, but it’s time to put together a new team who will work together on and off the field. It has been encouraging to see so many batsmen scoring runs during the early weeks of the county season.”
