FLETCHER SHOULD GO ON OWN TERMS

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Fletcher - has done plenty right.

By Andy Hampson, PA Sport

Having lifted England from the bottom of the rankings to an Ashes victory, Duncan Fletcher has done plenty right for the game in this country.

Last year's stunning success over Australia will stand the test of time as one of England's greatest-ever series wins and will remain the crowning glory of his coaching reign.

Overseeing the most successful England team for decades has earned the Zimbabwean plenty of credit, but that is not to say his methods have been universally popular - far from it.

When the team were doing well the dissenters had to bite their tongue somewhat but as England struggle Down Under, Fletcher is finding out just where his friends are.

Fletcher is now under pressure with his side on the brink of handing the Ashes back, the Australians having ruthlessly restored normal service.

To some extent he has largely created a rod for his own back. When he came in he took on all responsibility for the running of the England team, so now the buck must stop with him.

His methods, hitherto largely successful, of resting players and backing individuals on strength of promise rather than weight of performance have come back to haunt him.

The selections in the past of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick despite modest county records proved masterstrokes, but his faith in Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles this winter has been badly flawed.

His disdain for the county game since taking on the job has always bordered on the disgraceful with players often denied important match practice.

The central contracts system has been a success but at times Fletcher has overdone it. Often players have been undercooked but it seemed as if it almost did not matter to him.

That same sentiment has applied again this winter with Steve Harmison, James Anderson and Giles all short of games due to injuries and hardly tested before being thrown into Test cricket. Expecting them to perform was naive in the extreme.

Then there were the ludicrous decisions to drop Chris Read and Monty Panesar despite neither of them doing anything wrong. Recalling Jones and Giles in the hope of recreating the 2005 spirit was a mistake and broke Fletcher's own admirable preference for stability.

All of these misjudgements have undermined England's chances but to blame Fletcher for all the team's ills would be harsh.

He alone cannot be held accountable for the schedule, the appointment of Andrew Flintoff as captain and the poor returns of other key players.

As England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan has said, Fletcher has earned the right to go out on his terms.

"He's done a superb job for us," Morgan told the Sunday Times. "We're in a bad patch here on this tour, but if a director in industry has a bad quarter, the last thing you do is sack him.

"He's the best person to examine the problems and put solutions in place. I don't accept that the way the first two Tests went should be totally upon his shoulders."