Boycott advises England to take one-day woes seriously

London, Oct 31 (UNI) Reiterating that Duncan Fletcher is past his 'shelf-life', former England captain Geoffrey Boycott said it was high time that Andrew Flintoff's men took their one-day woes seriously as their current indifference towards ODIs was totally unacceptable.

''What I want to emphasise is that I have nothing personal against Fletcher. I have spoken to him a few times but I wouldn't say that I know him. The fact is, though, that like me, Fletcher has entered the public arena. He takes the money and has to stand or fall by the results,'' Boycott wrote in his column for the 'Daily Telegraph'.

Once again stressing on England's pathetic record in the one-dayers, the former captain said the the side lacked passion while playing the shorter version of the game and Fletcher was responsible for this attitude of the players.

''England's one-day performances have been poor for some time, and this year they have lost a staggering 80 per cent of their games. Watching the team, you often get the impression that some of the players don't want to be there, and that they have no passion for the one-day game. If that is so, then the coach must take responsibility,'' he said.

Boycott said the difference in attitude towards one-day cricket will not change if Fletcher was not sacked as coach.

''There is clearly a class distinction in the way that Tests and one-dayers are perceived in this country, and the longer Fletcher stays in his job, the longer that will persist,'' he explained.

''One-day internationals are the economic lifeblood of modern cricket. None of the other top teams around the world have the same problem adjusting between formats,'' he added.

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