Trisul

Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores have resigned as England's captain and coach respectively, leaving the ECB in complete turmoil following the emergency board meeting that took place on Tuesday evening to discuss the rift in the leadership of the team.

The 12-man board met by teleconference on Tuesday night, raising the possibility that Pietersen, who had not been due back from his holiday in Africa until Thursday, would pay the price for his outspoken views on the future direction of the England team.

Yet again Pietersen has denied that he was responsible for the leak of his rift with Peter Moores that apparently cost him the role of England captain.

Kevin Pietersen had threatened to quit as England captain during the tour of India but was persuaded not to by ECB officials, the board's vice-chairman Dennis Amiss has said on BBC 5Live.

Pietersen offered to resign after the second Test in Mohali, which was drawn, but was told to take some time off and think about it on holiday. "He mentioned resigning from the captaincy in our discussions with him but we wanted him to go away and think about it while he was in South Africa," Amiss said. "We said, 'Go away and think about it and we will resolve the situation as quickly as we can'."

The Duckworth/Lewis defeat in the Kanpur ODI against India has left England a frustrated and disappointed side, admitted coach Peter Moores but insisted the visitors were capable of turning things around in the do-or-die fourth one-dayer here on Sunday.

The Duckworth/Lewis defeat in the Kanpur ODI against India has left England a frustrated and disappointed side, admitted coach Peter Moores but insisted the visitors were capable of turning things around in the do-or-die fourth one-dayer here on Sunday.

Mitchell Johnson has changed his mind on appearing in the IPL this year after deciding it would be better for his long-term future to skip the tournament. Johnson did not take part in last year's event as he aimed to secure his hold on a Test spot and having achieved that goal, he expressed his interest in the IPL for 2009.

Johnson was expected to earn a huge sum in next month's player auction. However, his heavy recent workload - he is being rested for Australia's first ODIs this year - and the hectic upcoming schedule encouraged Johnson to focus on his national duties.

If the latest buzz is to be believed, former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has had a major fall out with his second wife, Sangeeta Bijlani, and is contemplating to divorce her.

Andrew Strauss has been appointed as England's captain for the entire tour of the West Indies, 24 hours after being unveiled as the new Test skipper. He will work alongside the current coaching set-up, headed by Andy Flower, although according to an ECB statement, his one-day captaincy will be reviewed at the end of the tour, leaving open the possibility that England could yet seek their fourth captain in 12 months should results not go to plan.

A staggering 2.6 million jobs disappeared in 2008, the most since World War II, and the pain is only getting worse with 11 million Americans out of work and searching. Unemployment hit a 16-year high of 7.2 percent in December and could be headed for 10 percent or even higher by year's end.