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By Mark Meadows
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 19 - Duncan Fletcher
will step down as England coach after Saturday's final World Cup
Super Eights game with West Indies, the England and Wales
Cricket Board said on Thursday.
He is expected to be replaced on a temporary basis by
England academy director Peter Moores
Fletcher, who has held the post since 1999, had come under
pressure after England were knocked out of the World Cup in the
second round following another poor display in the nine-wicket
defeat by South Africa on Tuesday.
England's disappointing tournament follows a 5-0 mauling by
Australia in the Ashes test series and the 58-year-old
Zimbabwean was left with little choice but to resign.
ECB chief executive David Collier said in a statement: "ECB
would like to formally put on record our grateful thanks to
Duncan Fletcher for his outstanding service to cricket
throughout England and Wales.
"He can be justifiably proud of a record which includes an
Ashes Series victory over Australia, a record eight successive
Test wins and Test series wins abroad in Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
West Indies and South Africa as well as the Commonwealth Bank
series success in Australia.
'RIGOROUS PLANNING'
"England's rise to number two in the LG ICC Test
Championship is in no small measure due to his rigorous planning
and excellent coaching skills.
Fletcher said he now sought new challenges. "I always said
that I would review my position as England coach nearer to the
end of this winter," he said in the ECB statement.
"Earlier in the World Cup I came to a decision about my
future and I discussed stepping down as head coach with the ECB
prior to England's game against Bangladesh.
"I feel it is in the team's best interests over the long
term that I should move on and seek a new challenge elsewhere.
"This has been a difficult winter for the team and for me
personally but I believe that my record as coach over the past
eight years is one in which I can take great pride."
Bangladesh are the sole test team England have managed to
beat so far in the tournament and even that victory was a nervy
four-wicket win. Their only other wins came against outsiders
Canada, Kenya and Ireland.
DRINKING SCANDAL
Their group stage qualification was marred by a late night
drinking scandal which led to Andrew Flintoff being stripped of
the vice-captaincy and banned for one game.
Several players and two coaches were also fined for the
incident in St Lucia following their opening defeat by New
Zealand.
Until the Ashes whitewash at the turn of the year,
Fletcher's test record had been excellent, driving England to
second in the test rankings, even if the team's one-day
performances have always been patchy.
Fletcher's finest moment came in 2005 when England beat old
enemy Australia 2-1 at home to win the urn for the first time
since 1987.
The famous victory followed test series wins in West Indies
and South Africa and a run of seven home test victories in a row
in 2004 against New Zealand and West Indies.