Simon Parker column

The clock is ticking until the inevitable book from Kevin Pietersen.

Confidentiality clauses prevent anyone from saying anything juicy about the end of his England adventure for now. That’s unless you’re a retired singer from Liberty X ...

But come the time of the Christmas present market, you can guarantee that KP’s version of the truth will be everywhere. No doubt penned by his good pal Piers Morgan.

There are no winners in this episode. England have lost their most gifted cricketer – and, by all accounts, biggest pain in the proverbial.

Regular readers of this column will know I was no fan. For all KP’s brilliance, there appeared to be too many occasions when he was playing for himself and not the team.

The handling of his departure, though, does nobody in the England hierarchy any favours. It leaves the impression of a bumbling collection of middle-aged suits unable to handle their most maverick character.

It does highlight the need for a fresh outlook and brave new era at the top. England need somebody capable of grabbing the whole squad by the scruff of the neck and giving it an almighty shake.

Step forward Shane Warne; one of the all-time greats and a radical thinker to match.

As a Hampshire man, I witnessed the transformation of my home-town county with Warne at the helm from shrinking violets to the dominant one-day force in domestic cricket.

He got young players to believe in themselves, play out of their skins and turned them into winners.

What more could you want from an England coach after the rigid regime of the last few years?

It would be the cricketing equivalent of making Brian Clough the national football manager. So let’s not live to regret it in the same way.

The only problem I see is Warne’s friendship with Pietersen. His appointment would no doubt mean an immediate recall – and a hasty rewrite!