Paul Downton struggled to emerge from Pietersen's shadow

Paul Downton looked weak after deciding to get rid of Kevin Pietersen rather than manage his talent. Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

So, Paul Downton didn't survive after all and much as I admire him for fronting up after England's embarrassing World Cup debacle, he had to go.

Whichever way you look at it, his short reign has been nothing short of disastrous and through all of it he hasn't been able to shake off Kevin Pietersen's giant shadow.

After being discarded, the most gifted player available to England won the PR war hands down and Downton looked weak as a result.

Kevin Pietersen was one of England's best talents but he sometimes clashed with management. Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

How on earth can you run England's cricket team if you can't handle a few difficult characters in the dressing room?

Manchester United's Roy Keane was never universally popular for example, but Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't have dreamt of letting him go until his playing powers started to desert him; up until that moment he managed him.

That's what leaders do.

To compound Downton's fragile reputation he sacked his captain Alastair Cook just before the World Cup and replaced him with a man hopelessly out of form.

A moment of genius if it worked out but as history tells us, the reality was the complete opposite.

Downton sacked his captain Alastair Cook just before the World Cup. Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire

When England finally shuffled away from the tournament, thoroughly humiliated, I reminded Paul Downton that when he appointed Peter Moores he called him the best coach of his generation.

I wondered whether that phrase had come back to haunt him.

Not only did he not think so but he went on to say he didn't think "anyone else could have done a better job."

If I had been Tom Harrison, the new CEO of the ECB watching that, I think it would have helped me make up my mind.

Maybe Harrison didn't even need much persuading.

The ECB will now create a new role of 'Director of England Cricket'. Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

In private when Harrison was appointed, he said that one of the priorities in his in-box was to build bridges with KP.

Once that process was underway, clearly there could be no place for the man who sacked him.

Nor the chairman of selectors, James Whittaker who backed his boss by reiterating there could be no way back for Pietersen.

There will be more collateral damage no doubt - but there has to be.

It's an opportunity that Harrison has identified and is clearly not going to miss.

After all there is a small matter of an Ashes series just around the corner.