Cricinfo - ECB begin review process

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Fall-out to Ashes defeat

ECB begin review process

Cricinfo staff

January 6, 2007

David Collier: 'This review will be comprehensive and broad ranging' © Getty Images

Within hours of England's final humiliating defeat in the Ashes series the ECB has instigated a review of the reasons behind the team's dismal showing over the last six weeks. A group of directors met in Sydney on Thursday after David Collier, the ECB chief executive, sent around a paper outlining the issues.

The vision for the review is defined as: "To determine how Team England performances during the period 2003-07 should be improved in order that England regain the Ashes in 2009 and win an ICC global one-day Event during the period 2007-11." England have previously had a mission statement which was to make England the best team in the world by 2007.

Collier said: "The performance in the Ashes series has been a great disappointment and a number of lessons must be learned. This review will be comprehensive and broad ranging with the clear objective of regaining the Ashes in 2009 and significantly improving England's results in one-day international cricket in the next four-year cycle."

The board unanimously supported the establishment of a comprehensive review and will now meet formally to agree the process and composition of the review team.

In addition after each overseas tour a report is produced by the England management team to consider lessons learned and actions to be taken. The board has tasked John Carr, the ECB director of England cricket, with completing this report for the Ashes tour in February in order that actions can be implemented prior to the World Cup in March.

Carr said Duncan Fletcher's position as coach was not under immediate threat. "This is not the time to fuel speculation about the head coach," he told BBC radio. "I'm very confident Duncan will be leading the team into the World Cup.

"Duncan has himself said that he always reviews his position at the end of each winter. I'm sure the ECB general review that is looking at all ECB structures etc will be looking at all elements of personnel within team England - every post and every position."