When all else fails, when the news is crammed with credit crunches and casualties of war, there is always English cricket to bring a smile to the face of the dourest of Cassandras.

When all else fails, when the news is crammed with credit crunches and casualties of war, there is always English cricket to bring a smile to the face of the dourest of Cassandras.

Yesterday, as the ECB's beleaguered officials reacted to the news of their briefly-anointed captain Kevin Pietersen's resignation by sacking their coach, Peter Moores, it was impossible not to feel that these administrators possess about as much long-sightedness as Mr Magoo, stumbling along from one crisis to another.

By the time the details of the twin departures were announced by the ECB's managing director, Hugh Morris, any semblance of coherence or logic had been shrouded in a fog of obfuscation which will only lift in the next few days, once we discover whether there is any truth to Morris' assertion that the England dressing-room had degenerated into a hotbed of disunity.

What we can conclude from the whole sorry farrago of claims, counter-claims, confusion and chaos is that the ECB has been dragged along by events rather than seeking to take control of them, sparking a mess and the possible loss of the one batsman who the Australians will fear this summer.

Of course, Pietersen has to shoulder much of the responsibility for his behaviour in lifting the lid on a closed-doors row in a tabloid newspaper last Sunday. Yet, from the moment he was handed the reins of power in the lachrymose aftermath of Michael Vaughan's exit last August, there has been no doubt that he has dominated the action off the pitch as much as he has batted with distinction on it.

When Sir Allen Stanford indulged in an ill-judged flirtation with several of the England team's wives and girlfriends in the Caribbean, he apologised to Pietersen, not Moores. Then, more importantly, when a number of the ECB's leading luminaries, including Andrew Flintoff, were voicing concerns over returning to India, in the wake of the Mumbai atrocities, it was the brash South African with the daft hairstyle, the pop-star squeeze and occasional resemblance to a 70s porn-movie actor, who displayed a welcome acquaintance with the real world in persuading his confreres that they should stand shoulder to shoulder with their Asian counterparts.

In that instant, and especially as news began to filter out of unrest in the England camp at the relentless, coaching-by-rote philosophy of the saturnine Moores, one sensed that this would be a personality clash which might end in tears.

The trouble is that Pietersen has dug himself into a large corner, yet even if there may be superficial similarities between this matter and Kris Boyd's petulant decision to quit the Scotland international set-up - at least under the stewardship of George Burley - the batting maestro is in a much stronger position than the soon-to-be ex-Ranger.

For starters, he has still not signed the contract which was offered to him by the ECB last September and to which he was due to put pen to paper by the end of this week. Thus, Cricinfo were justified in commenting: "As things stand, he is still a free agent, but the IPL and ICL franchises are hovering and Pietersen would stand to earn $1.5m for two months' work if he shredded the paperwork and plied his trade as a freelance in India throughout April and May."

Nor will it suffice for the likes of Morris to serve up excuses such as last night's efforts to pass the buck on to Pietersen. Instead, it would have been much more honest if he had summoned the skipper back from holiday last Saturday, sat him down with Moores, asked the two adults whether they could work together and, if the response was negative (as would have been the case), ordered Pietersen to button his lip and switch off his mobile phone.

Then, having displayed the leadership which has been so manifestly lacking, he could duly have turned his attention to drafting the minutiae of Moores' severance deal.

That might sound harsh, but the coach's record is as dismal as the annual festive greeting from Sir Cliff Richard. Since 2005, when Duncan Fletcher masterminded an Ashes triumph, principally in partnership with Vaughan, Pietersen and Flintoff, it has been obvious that England have moved into reverse gear and that players such as Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Monty Panesar and James Anderson have made nothing like the progress which might have been expected of them.

This isn't entirely down to Moores, who inherited a side containing certain individuals who were either ready to risk drowning by pedalo, preferred watching Newcastle United to travelling during the winter, or seemed happier with a microphone than a bat in their hands, but just consider England under Moores in the last year.

There have been series defeats to Sri Lanka, South Africa and India and a spluttery victory over a lacklustre New Zealand contingent, while the ODI set-up is such a shambles that Andrew Strauss will fit perfectly as captain of their Caribbean-bound squad for which he wasn't even originally selected.

In this light, Pietersen was entitled to express reservations over a man for whom he clearly has little respect. Given his ego, it would have been more surprising if he had kept silent as the SS Blighty steered between Scylla and Charybdis. And although he has been the catalyst for the crash, perhaps the ECB should be asking themselves whether an England skipper should be penning exclusive material for a newspaper in any case.

Fine, once he has packed away his bat and pads. But while he is in situ? C'mon, let's not pretend that Pietersen at the helm was anything else but picnicking on Vesuvius.

And, now that the volcano has erupted, it may be that the bold KP decides to leave the Ashes to others with a fraction of his gifts and motivational qualities. What a mess! What a hoot!

ECB STATEMENT

The England and Wales Cricket Board have late this afternoon accepted, with regret, the resignation of Kevin Pietersen as England captain.

Kevin recognised that in the present situation it was impossible to restore the dressing room unity, which is vital if England are to win the forthcoming tour to the Caribbean, the ICC global events or regain the Ashes in the npower Ashes Test series.

Kevin Pietersen is highly valued as a senior and experienced player and we are delighted that he has indicated he wishes to continue to represent England in all their forthcoming international fixtures, starting in the Caribbean later this month.

I have an extremely high respect and regard for Kevin Pietersen but this has become an impossible situation given the irretrievable breakdown of the relationship between captain and coach .

With regard to Peter Moores, the Board determined that he should relinquish his role as England team director. I have the greatest respect for the dignity which Peter Moores has shown in recent days when he has found himself under extreme pressure. The ECB wish him well in his future roles. I would also like to thank him for his contribution as England Team director and his work as National Academy director.

Andrew Strauss has agreed to lead the team to the Caribbean. He led the England team with distinction in 2006 when Michael Vaughan was injured.

The Board will announce the coaching set up for the Caribbean tour as soon as possible and will embark on an immediate search for a coach who can provide England with the best chance of success in the coming years."

• HUGH MORRIS ECB managing director