Must England sack Moores to regain Ashes?

Ray Illingworth, the former chairman of selectors, believes Kevin Pietersen will win his power struggle with England coach Peter Moores.

The worsening rift between the pair could come to a head this week, after coach and captain were reported to have fallen out over the decision to leave Michael Vaughan out of the squad for the tour of the forthcoming tour of the Caribbean.

Vaughan's omission led to reports that Pietersen had issued an ultimatum to the England and Wales Cricket Board, demanding they sack Moores or risk losing him as captain. Illingworth, chairman of selectors between 1994 and 1997, believes it is imperative that Pietersen is the main decision-maker in the squad.

"The captain should have the main say; he has to be the main person," he said. "If he doesn't have the main say then he doesn't have the backing of the players when he gets on to the field, and it's very important that he has the backing of the other 10 players."

Illingworth says the clash of personalities is the reason behind the rift, which he says will mean Moores is forced out before long.

"The coach and the captain have to be on the same wavelength," he said. "Moores is more of a stats man with a clipboard and pen, and Pietersen is more of a flair man with his own instincts - so it's a clash of personalities.

"(The ECB) have to make a decision, because if they are not getting on then it won't work. Someone needs to make a decision as to which one goes - and so I suppose really, if they are backing the captain, then the coach will get the sack."

Mick Newell, director of cricket at Pietersen's former county Nottinghamshire, admits the player may lack respect for Moores.

"It was the right thing to make him captain," Newell said. "But I think the people around him had to adapt and work with his style of captaincy rather than the previous captain, Michael Vaughan.

"Kevin is a lot more determined, single-minded and knows that he wants to be in charge. You really have to work with that if you want to get the best out of that relationship.

"There is a certain type of person that Kevin would respect as a coach. You either need to have a lot of international experience, or you're looking for a former great cricketer.

"The captain-coach relationship in cricket is quite a lot more important than in most other team sports. I think you've got a whole respect issue going on."