The Kit Hits The Pan

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Vaughan fails in Admiral kit.

With the impeccable timing of a Michael Vaughan cover-drive, the ECB have moved quickly to identify the reasons behind England's abysmal World Cup performance.

Many have called for the captain to go. Other pundits have laid the blame at the coach's door. Another group led by the frenzied Bob Willis believe everyone must go, and go now or sooner if at all possible.

Willis' ire in the immediate aftermath of England's humiliation at South African hands may have been understandable, but his argument for sweeping changes fell down somewhat when he insisted England must "behave as Australia did after the embarrassment of the 2005 Ashes defeat".

That'll be the Australia who sacked their coach and captain, then, rather than the one that stood by John Buchanan and Ricky Ponting with fairly impressive results.

England must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater here. If Duncan Fletcher and/or Vaughan are to be replaced, then the replacements must be of a higher standard. Who are the possible replacement captains? Andrew Strauss? Paul Collingwood? Certainly not Andrew Flintoff now.

And given two of the names mentioned so far for the coaching role have been Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, apparently because they're quite good commentators, there doesn't seem to be a long queue for that gig either.

But no matter, because the ECB have worked out the real reason why England are so rubbish anyway; the kit.

Oh yes. For the last five years, England's kit has been made by Admiral. A company who also provide gear for world-beaters like Leeds United and Huddersfield Town.

Clearly, such a rubbish kit manufacturer has been the reason for England's woeful performances rather than, say, the top order's refusal to score at more than three runs an over, Flintoff's drunken sailor act or the continued presence of Saj Mahmood in an international cricket team.

So a new deal has been struck with adidas, who must be overjoyed. Given the deal doesn't kick in until 2008, the timing of the announcement is puzzling to say the least.

And talking of kit, I can't be the only one delighted that after months of the pyjama stuff, the England boys will soon be back in white and playing some proper Test cricket. You remember - the longer stuff that we were quite good at until this winter.

But there's a problem on the horizon.

After watching nothing but coloured clothing for the last three months, I caught a glimpse of the MCC's curtain raiser against Sussex at Lord's and suffered from a terrible bout of snow blindness at the sight of all that pristine white kit. When Alastair Cook celebrated his century it almost burned my retinas out.