The strange thing about the timing of the Pietersen ......... let's call it sacking, was that there are already several important decisions to make about the test side: Opening the Batting - obviously Cook will retain his place, but who will open with him - neither Carberry or Root made the position their own - if they are building for the 2015 Ashes will they play someone like Sam Robson? Maybe Moeen Ali may get a chance at test level. No 3 - will Jonathan Trott return? If not who should bat there? I'm not convinced that Ian Bell WANTS to bat there, so maybe Root at 3? Rest of Batting - without Swann we need another bowler, so Ben Stokes is a shoe in at 6. Bell would also be there, leaving one more slot. Who to go for? Morgan, Bairstow, Taylor, Bopara, Compton and Ballance have all been tried. Maybe they will go for someone new like Moeen? Keeper - before the Pietersen sacking I thought Butler may get a go, but given the lack of experience in the side they will probably go back to Matt Prior? Spinner - they don't trust Monty, and again there are several options - Bothwick, Rayner, Kerrigan, Briggs etc. Whoever it is they need to select him and back him. Seamers - Anderson and Broad plus one more. Again take your pick from Finn (if he sorts out his run up), Onions (who I think they may go to), Tremlett, Bresnan, Rankine or one of the younger ones like Topley/Overton. I assume that they have told Cook he will stay as captain, but they also have to appoint a coach As I said - some big decisions!!
Frankly, I think they should have given Cook a rest from the captaincy during the Ashes tour, but it now seems that the real fight was not between the two teams on the pitch, but between the Cookies and KPs in the dressing room. Otherwise, I think the time is - or would have been - right for someone to make the brave call, admit that the current team has been heading for an Ashes whitewash since its tour of NZ, and openly say that EVERY place in the team is up for grabs. This could also, if they had been crafty enough, been used to drop KP without it looking so obvious...
