Botham: Fletcher was past sell-by date

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Fletcher stepped down following England's dismal display in the World Cup which followed hot on the heels of their 5-0 whitewash in the Ashes last winter.

"Duncan Fletcher did some extremely good things for the England cricket team but everyone has a shelf life and I'm afraid his had expired," Botham told BBC Radio Five Live. "England were going nowhere. There was no communication and at times I think Duncan took being miserable to a new level."

He added: "You have to communicate with people. You have to be able to talk to the media and I think that Duncan didn't want to.

"In my opinion he was becoming paranoid about the media and what they were saying. That became a major concern and it possibly undermined his position in the team. He seemed totally withdrawn and you can't be like that.

"There needed to be a change. We wish Peter Moores all the very best.

"He's done very well with the Academy, he's well respected within the game and I haven't heard a bad word said about him.

"Let's get behind him and give him all our support. Hopefully he'll turn things around - the players are there."