Reuters/London

Dressing room harmony is crucial if England are to have a chance of reclaiming the Ashes even if it means discarding the country’s most destructive batsman, according to former England rugby skipper Lawrence Dallaglio.
As the fall-out over Kevin Pietersen’s failed bid to return to the international fold continues, Dallaglio offered his support to England’s new director of cricket and former Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss.
“I think culture is really important in a team, particularly in a sport like cricket,” Dallaglio, 42, said yetserday at the Daily Telegraph Business of Sport event in London.
“These guys spend a huge amount of time together and trusting each other is very important.
“I know from my own experience both at club level with Wasps and with England that we spent an enormous amount of time putting together a culture and certain values and certain ways of behaving, both together and outside of the team environment.”
Dallaglio, a key member of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003, said current England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster had been faced with dressing room issues when he took over but had worked hard to establish a new team ethos.
He said it was the way forward for English cricket.
“When Stuart took over he had to reconnect the players with their responsibilities and what it means to play for England,” said Dallaglio. “He had to relocate the moral compass of the team and the identity of the team, that was the first criteria.
“That took about 18 months, then he could start focusing on performance and we are seeing the benefit now.
Strauss said on Tuesday that Pietersen was not in his plans because of a complete breakdown of trust.
“I wasn’t surprised to hear the comments made yesterday about Pietersen,” added Dallaglio. “It’s a great shame because he has been a fantastic cricket player and scored lots of runs and still is, but the team should come before the individual.
“If England feel they can’t cope with Pietersen then that’s the decision they have made. People will disagree, but that’s the decision they have made and until that changes I think Kevin will be playing in the IPL.”
Pietersen, who has scored more than 8,000 test runs, was sacked by England last year following a number of incidents that culminated in the 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia during which he was accused of being disengaged from the team.
This year’s Ashes series starts on July 8 in Cardiff.

Australia surprised by KP’s omission
Kevin Pietersen is not the only one trying to work out why he is unwanted by England’s cricket selectors. England’s fiercest rivals, Australia, are also puzzled by his omission and somewhat bemused by the saga as they prepare for this year’s Ashes series.
Pietersen was told by new England cricket director Andrew Strauss that he was not in his plans for the Ashes even though he scored a career-best 355 not out for Surrey this week. Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris remains unconvinced that South African-born Pietersen will play no part in the Ashes. “I know that Strauss and him probably don’t get on, (but) I’m not going to believe it until we get over there and they pick their squad,” Harris told Cricket Australia’s website.
“He’s just peeled off a triple-hundred. If he keeps going on and playing for Surrey, he may quit now, but if he keeps going and scoring hundred after hundred there’s going to be a lot of pressure to pick him. Although it has been said by the new cricket director, I’m not going to believe it until we play five tests and Kevin Pietersen doesn’t play. “If he keeps scoring runs the way he is it’s going to be very hard not to pick him.”
Australian paceman Peter Siddle, currently playing county cricket in England, could not believe Pietersen was being kept out but said the Australians were happy not to have to play against him.
“A bloke that averages 50 in test cricket I’m happy enough to have out of the side,” Siddle told British media. “Get somebody in who averages less. I’m happy to see him gone.”

Pietersen jokes about England coaching job
Kevin Pietersen joked on Twitter that he had applied for the England coaching job yesterday, a day after being sidelined by new director of cricket Andrew Strauss. “Morning all, after a pretty bad day yesterday I’ve given it a lot of thought overnight,” Pietersen wrote to his 2.56 million followers. “I’m applying for the coaching job! #StraussLogic”
Strauss revealed on Tuesday that Pietersen, 34, will not be selected for England in the immediate future, citing a “massive trust issue” between him and the South Africa-born batsman. England are currently without a coach following the dismissal of Peter Moores last weekend. Pietersen, England’s leading all-time run-scorer across all formats, was axed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last year following a 5-0 Ashes whitewash defeat in Australia.
But after new ECB chairman Colin Graves opened the door to a recall by suggesting that he could force his way back into the team by playing county cricket, Pietersen signed for his former team Surrey. He completed an innings of 355 not out for Surrey against Leicestershire on Monday, his maiden first-class triple century, only to be told later that day by Strauss that he was not part of England’s plans. In his column for the Daily Telegraph published yesterday, Pietersen wrote: “I am absolutely devastated that it looks like my hopes of an England recall have been brought to a close, especially given everything that has been said and asked of me. “They have used the word ‘trust’ to justify not selecting me, well, trust is a two-way thing. I couldn’t believe just half an hour after I had my meeting, the result of it was on the internet and on the BBC airwaves. “Now I certainly didn’t tell anybody, so who did? They say they don’t trust me, but how can anybody trust them?” Pietersen also revealed that Strauss, his former England team-mate, had offered him a role as an advisor on one-day cricket, which he rejected. Pietersen is due to fly to India on Friday to join up with his Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad.