Honeymoon is over for coach Fletcher

Duncan Fletcher attended his summer debrief in London today knowing that the honeymoon period is finally over.

Fletcher has received little but praise since taking over as England's coach two years ago - and understandably so given four straight Test series victories and a home draw with Pakistan after a feet-finding tour of South Africa during the winter of 1999-2000.

But another Ashes hammering - as comprehensive as any in recent memory - inevitably puts the quietly spoken Zimbabwean under a harsher light.

Fletcher's lunch meeting with England Cricket Board chief executive Tim Lamb and David Morgan, chairman of the first-class counties, was described as purely routine.

Yet it is the second time in a couple of months he has sat down with his bosses to talk over a string of heavy defeats. The first occasion followed England's whitewash in the triangular oneday series involving Pakistan and Australia.

Fletcher took exception then to media suggestions that he was given a grilling by his employers and the Board stressed they had not conducted a witchhunt, merely a review of what went wrong.

There is a school of thought among the counties, however, that the most powerful coach in England's history ought to be more visible.

Fletcher gives fewer afterplay interviews than any of his predecessors and seldom appears on radio or television.

He has more clout than any of his predecessors because the introduction of central contracts allows him to say when top players should be rested by their counties.

A feeling persists around the country, however, that key bowlers like Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick did too little work for their own good this summer.