Andrew Flintoff is not the lone Englishman in Duncan Fletcher's bad books. The former England coach has panned Ian Botham for being a bad influence on "Freddie" and alleged Geoff Boycott had a personal vendetta against him.
Fletcher, who has already ruffled many a feather with his claim that Flintoff's drinking binges let him down, trained guns on both Botham and Boycott, who often made life difficult when the Zimbabwean had the England team's reins in his hand.
In Fletcher's Behind the Shades, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail, the rotund cricketer-turned-coach recalls how he had approached Botham before his first tour as England coach, to South Africa in 1999-2000 and how the relationship worsened.
" 'Get rid of all the guys like Atherton, Caddick and Tufnell,' he told me. 'Why?' I asked. 'Because they're too old, rather go with youth,' he replied. 'Who then?' I asked. 'Graeme Hick and Robin Smith.' 'But hold on they are the same age,' I replied in exasperation. 'But they are different,' he said. Unbelievable," Fletcher wrote.
And it was unfortunate that Botham's view swayed everyone, including chairman of selectors David Graveney, Fletcher rued.
"My relationship with Botham deteriorated over time, so much so that when I finished with England he did not even have the decency to come and shake my hand."
He also claimed that his wards had scant respect for Botham.
"He thinks the players listen to him but they do not. Often you would go into the dressing room and hear the players in exasperation saying things like: 'Have you heard what Botham is saying about the wicket?'"
Fletcher also recalled an incident during the World Cup when senior players, including Kevin Pietersen, skipped a boating session because Botham too was invited.
Fletcher had more or less similar views on Boycott and he felt the former opener had a personal agenda against him.
"I always felt there was something personal in his criticisms. He went strangely quiet when we were doing well and could not bring himself to praise me for any successes and this became especially obvious after the Ashes win of 2005."
He also admitted giving Boycott a sound thrashing over phone on one occasion.
"I have to be honest and say I was quite rude to the man. But what was so pleasing was that, after I had let him know what I thought of him, his tone changed remarkably. He suddenly became different. It was the classic case of the biter bitten."
And like Botham, Boycott too is avoided by the current crop of cricketers, he said.
"Boycott was always asking England players to dinner. I would hear it time and time again in the dressing room 'Boycott has asked me to dinner again and I don't want to go.'
"But what he would do is pester them and pester is the right word until eventually they joined him. And as the individual was off to dinner, you could always hear the rest shouting 'good luck' sarcastically."
