I, Niedjyuu.

잉글랜드 크리켓 대표팀은 최근 KP가 주장직을 사퇴하자
선발타자 앤드류 스트라우스 선수를 주장으로 임명했습니다.
그것도 5일제 무제한 오버 경기와, ODI와 20-20대회등의 원데이(One day)캡틴을 동시에 말이죠.

먼저, 앤드류 스트라우스 선수는 주장을 맡은데 대해 대단히 영광이며,
그만한 역할을 수행하기 위해 노력하겠다는 자신감을 보이고 있습니다.
(현재 잉글랜드는 국기로서의, 종주국으로서의 명예가 땅에 실추가 돼있는 편입니다.
그래서 역할이라는 것도, 서인도제도로의 투어에서 좋은 성적을 거두고,
이후에는 올해 여름에 열릴 호주와의 Ashes에서 승리하는게 최종 목표일 것입니다)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/7817231.stm

하지만, 팀내 불화가 없었느냐, 아니냐는 끝없는 논쟁이 벌어지고 있지요.
특히 가장 큰 문제는 잉글랜드 팀 코치인 피터 무어스(Peter Moores)와 KP는
과연 괜찮았느냐에 대해 의구심이 남습니다.
현재 잉글랜드 크리켓 협회는 피터 무어스 씨를 대신할 대체할 지도자를 찾고있지만
지목된 사람들 모두가 암묵적, 혹은 실질적으로 거부하고 있는 중입니다.

현재, 호주팀 대표로 선수생활을 했던 대런 레만(Darren Lehmann)씨는
잉글랜드 대표팀 감독직을 거부한 상태입니다.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/7822262.stm

누가 독이든 성배를 들 지도 의문이 되네요.
(더 정확한 감독직 관련 뉴스는 관련보도가 나오는 대로 추후 업데이트 하겠습니다.
아직 정확한 보도자료가 없네요.)

하지만, KP에게만 문제가 있는 걸까요?
제가 찾아서, 걸고있는 링크들은
뭔가 팀내에 불협화음이 있었다는 것이 느껴집니다.

먼저, KP는 최근 인터뷰에서 [나는 (주장직에 있으면서)욕먹을 이유가 없다]라고 밝혔지요.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/7822596.stm
그 자신도 [아직 주장으로서 해야할 역할을 완수하지 못했다] 고 밝혔지요.
근데 왜 갑자기 그만뒀을까요?

그러기 위해서 KP가 주장이 된 타이밍을 되짚어봅시다.
KP가 작년에 주장직을 맡기 시작했을때에는
영국의 홈그라운드에서 남아공 팀과의 5일제 테스트 시리즈에서 2-1로 패하는 동안
당시 주장이었던 마이클 보언 선수의 무릎부상에 의한 저질적인 득점력에 의해
마이클 보언 선수가 잠시 쉴 필요가 있고,
그 당시에 임시 주장직을 맡던 프레디 앤드류 플린트오프 선수도 부상을 당해버려서
갑작스럽지만 당장의 대체 주장직을 수행했었지요.
주장직에 들어온 이후엔, 그는 꽤 많은 노력을 해왔(다고 그는 주장하고 있)습니다.
하지만, 인도팀과의 7경기의 ODI시리즈에서
뭄바이 테러로 인해 취소된 6, 7차전을 제외하면 5-0 완패,
그리고 뭄바이 테러 이후에 재개된 2경기의 테스트 대회에서 1-0 패배,
실질적으로는 한경기도 승리를 따내지 못했습니다.
그러한 책임감 때문에 주장직을 떠난다면, 글쎄요.

현재로서는 그는 서인도제도팀과의 대결을 위해 출정할 스쿼드에 포함되지 않았습니다.
그는 자타가 공인하는 [잉글랜드에서 가장 득점을 충실히 해줄 선수]인데도 말이죠.

다음으로, 가디언지에서 보도한 바에 따르면,
현재 팀의 선수들은 3개로 구별돼 있는 것 같다고 보도했습니다.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jan/09/england-cricket-team-allegiances

KP의 동지/프레디 플린트오프의 동지/중립 인 선수들로 나눴는데요,
KP그룹엔 KP, 마이클 보언, 몬티 파네사, 폴 콜링우드 선수,
프레디의 그룹엔 프레디, 스티브 하미슨, 지미 앤더슨, 알리스터 쿡, 그리고 맷 프라이어(위켓키퍼)선수를,
그리고 중립에 있는 선수로 이안 벨, 그레임 스완, 스튜어트 브로드선수,
그리고 이번에 주장이 된 앤드류 스트라우스선수로 분류했더군요.

하지만 플린트오프 선수는 KP가 주장직에서 사임한데 대해 유감을 표명했습니다.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/7825838.stm
주장이 돼서 무거운 책임을 지기 싫다는 건지,
아니면 팀이 정말로 잘 이끌어지길 바랬다는 건지,
언론플레이인건지,
일반적인 제 생각으로는 이 뉴스들을 조합해보면 전혀 납득이 되지 않고 있습니다.


쓰다보니, 이젠 어느게 진실인지도 잘 모르겠습니다.
그리고, (농담반 진담반으로) 신문은 일부러 이야기거리를 부풀려서라도 쓴거다 라는 말도 농담같지 않네요.
하지만, 결국 가장 큰 논쟁을 억제할 방법은 단 하나입니다.
이번에 주장이 된 앤드류 스트라우스 선수가, 어떻게든 팀을 이끌고,
서인도제도에서 좋은 성적을 거두고, Ashes 크리켓에서 성적을 내면
팀이 다시 상승기류를 타면서 조화를 이룰 수 있겠지요.
문제는 갈길이 멀다는 겁니다.


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모든 뉴스의 링크는 BBC UK/BBC Cricket뉴스 혹은 Guardians지에 의해 작성되었으며,
제 개인적인 의견은 반영되지 않았음을 알려드립니다.

Kevin Pietersen has arrived home as England look to the future after his shock resignation as captain.

Pietersen, 28, made no comment after flying into London on Thursday following a holiday in South Africa.

He quit as skipper on Wednesday after just five months in charge following a fall-out with coach Peter Moores, who was sacked on Wednesday.

New England captain Andrew Strauss will address the media at a news conference at Lord's at 1500 GMT.

Wednesday's tumultuous events leave England in disarray ahead of the tour to the West Indies and the Ashes series against Australia this summer.

They leave for the Caribbean on 21 January, and the England and Wales Cricket Board will now begin its search for a new coach.

Strauss has been named as captain for the tour of the West Indies, although it is not known whether he will also take charge of the one-day and Twenty20 teams.

Pietersen, who admitted last week his relationship with Moores was strained, has stated his desire to remain involved in the England set-up.

And former skipper Michael Vaughan, whose potential return to the England team led to a clash between Pietersen and Moores, has backed him to put the controversy behind him.

"What Kevin has to do now is go to the West Indies and score a hundred in the first Test, then it will be forgotten," Vaughan told the Daily Telegraph.

"England need Kevin to be challenging to be the number one batsman in the world.

"Strauss and KP get on well although they are very different people. There will be pressure on KP after all the controversy and I hope he is not going to be affected by it.

"He has the flair and ability to make world-class bowlers look ordinary, and I think he will average 50-odd and become the world number one."

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew believes Pietersen was desperate not to relinquish the captaincy but insists he has only himself to blame.

"He hung on and he hung one, he didn't want to go. It wasn't until 1715 GMT that he finally resigned when he was given the ultimatum by the ECB that either you resign or you are going to be sacked," Agnew told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He brought about his own downfall. I don't know who was advising him or what position he thought he was coming from but it was a serious miscalculation.

"He clearly felt that he had the team behind him in flagging up that he didn't think Peter Moores was a good enough coach to take England forward and he miscalculated there.

"We can probably assume that Andrew Flintoff was more in the Moores camp than Pietersen's. There will have been one or two other senior players who will have felt the same way too.

Pietersen has signalled his intent to play a full part in the West Indies tour, which includes four Tests, a Twenty20 international and five one-dayers.

With England then hosting the West Indies, the ICC World Twenty20 and an Ashes series, Agnew feels it was important for the Pietersen-Moores rift to come out sooner rather than later.

"The Board were very angry that this had been put into the public domain but I'd say thank goodness it was," he added.

"If it hadn't come out now what would the impact have been had it come out in April or May, with the Ashes just around the corner? It would have been an absolute disaster for English cricket.

"Now they have got time to put things in place, get a new captain and go out and find a good new coach. It might be the man they didn't bother approaching last time, Tom Moody.

"There have now been three captains in far too short a space of time. I wouldn't have thought there will be a coach in place until the start of this summer, but this sort of thing can sometimes pull a team together."

Duncan Fletcher, Moores's predecessor as England coach, thinks Strauss could have serious problems uniting a squad that is reportedly divided over Pietersen.

The Sun newspaper described Pietersen as "cricket's most hated man" who had been "shunned" by his team-mates and employers, the Daily Mirror claimed Flintoff, James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Steve Harmison were "not his fans" and the Daily Mail alleged "Flintoff and other senior players had turned against him in his battle for power with Peter Moores".

"Not the least of the difficulties will be how to handle KP when he returns to the rank and file," Fletcher wrote in his Guardian column.

"The ECB has exposed him somewhat by admitting that its research, whatever form it took, revealed a lack of support for Pietersen as captain.

"That to me sounds like a huge problem in the making: will the dressing room divide into pro- and anti-KP camps? How will it gel?

"Will the new captain have the backing of all the senior players? It's going to be a huge issue for the poor captain in the months ahead."

Former England batsman Graham Thorpe has no doubt that Pietersen can make a successful return to the side but feels he should be dispensed of if he causes further problems.

"Kevin Pietersen has taken a massive gamble and it has backfired on him and the next phase will be whether or not he can step back in a be a player again. He can make it work," Thorpe told 5 Live.

"Strauss has got to try to bring the team back together again and he'll have to sit down with Kevin Pietersen to see whether he'll buy into that.

"Every player has to toe the line and if it's to the detriment of the team then that player has to go. I don't care how good he is, you're not bigger than the game."