It seems to happen after every single World Cup that someone near to the top of English cricket gets the sack . Whether it be Duncan Fletcher , David Lloyd , whoever , someone always seems to pay the price for our abject failure to compete on the global one-day stage . Paul Downton is just the latest victim . It is high time that we looked at the entire structure of English cricket and the reasons we are incapable of producing the types of cricketer required to succeed in international one-day cricket . Paul Downton has left his role as managing director of England and Wales Cricket Board . Moores ( from left to right ) , Downton and England captain Alastair Cook during the press conference . The system is broken and it desperately needs fixing if England are ever going to compete in limited-overs cricket again . Make no mistake , sacking Paul Downton does not mean some magic wand has been waved and all will be well . There are deep systemic problems . Too many of the current selectors and coaches are from the old guard and have failed to keep pace with the dramatic changes that have occurred in one-day cricket in recent years . From Downton to coach Peter Moores , to selectors James Whitaker and Angus Fraser , these are players from a different era who have been painfully slow to react to situations . Downton ( left ) and Peter Moores ( right ) pose during a press conference at Lord 's Cricket Ground . Downton leaves his role as ECB managing director following England 's shameful performance at World Cup . Even the sacking of Alastair Cook as one-day captain was a slow and protracted affair . They should have acted sooner . Like so much of English sport , our cricket system seems afraid of the maverick player and that has to change . In my view there is still too much bad blood around for Kevin Pietersen to return , with the fall-out from the book causing untold damage to so many relationships that it just seems inconceivable for him to return . Nasser Hussain believes the sacking of Cook as one-day captain was a slow and protracted affair . I hate it when things become about one individual and believe me , everything that has gone wrong with English cricket has not been down to the handling of Kevin Pietersen ; however badly that has been done . But what is does highlight is the continued fear of the maverick player . From David Gower to Kevin Pietersen , English cricket has shown distrust for anyone who does not conform or fit into a safe stereotype even though all the players who are thriving on the world stage are non-conformists who do things differently . You wouldn ’ t find Brendan McCullum or AB de Villiers audacious shot- making in an MCC coaching manual but you will not find two better strikers of a cricket ball on the planet . English cricket needs to learn to embrace the maverick . Pietersen has rejoined Surrey in the hope of earning a place in the Ashes squad for England this summer . Hussain hopes whoever is appointed to replace Downton is close to the modern game and ahead of the curve . I have been asked if I would like to take on Downton ’ s job and the short answer is ‘ no ’ . I will do anything I can to help the ECB and English cricket but there are far better candidates than me out there . Whether it be Michael Vaughan , Andrew Strauss or anyone else , I just hope whoever they appoint is close to the modern game and ahead of the curve . We have been behind it for far too long.Most importantly , it is time to wake up and look at the big picture . Stop finding individuals to scapegoat and carry the can and start looking at the system that is failing to produce the kind of cricketers we need .
Nasser Hussain believes it 's time to look at the structure of English cricket . Hussain believes Paul Downton is just the latest victim to take the flack . He feels the system is broken and desperately needs attention and fixing . Alastair Cook 's sacking shows we are painfully slow to react problems .