Pietersen and Moores could both lose fight

The England and Wales Cricket Board last night held an emergency conference call meeting to decide on the next move in the ongoing dispute between Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores, England's captain and coach respectively. During the meeting the board may well have decided on the action they will take with the warring parties and an announcement is expected before the end of the week.

Since the rift became public Hugh Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, has held conversations with Pietersen, who is on holiday in South Africa, and Moores to see if there was any chance of reconciliation. In an attempt to collect as much information as possible Morris has also interviewed several of England's senior players to ask them what they thought of their captain and coach. At last night's meeting Morris would have presented the board with his findings.

It seems extremely unlikely that both will hold on to their positions, because neither has come out of this messy affair with any credibility. There are doubts over Moores' ability to improve the quality of cricket played by England and Pietersen's suitability to captain. Initially it was felt that Pietersen would hold on to his job and that Moores would go. But the possibility that both will be pushed sideways – Moores back to the academy and Pietersen to the ranks – cannot be ruled out.