Paul Downton's sacking will not mend our broken game, he's just latest victim to pay price for our abject global one-day failure

• Nasser Hussain believes it's time to look at the structure of English cricket 
• Hussain believes Paul Downton is just the latest victim to take the flack
• He feels the system is broken and desperately needs attention and fixing
• Alastair Cook's sacking shows we are painfully slow to react problems

By Nasser Hussain for the Daily Mail

Published: 16:44 EST, 8 April 2015 | Updated: 18:27 EST, 8 April 2015

It seems to happen after every single World Cup that someone near to the top of English cricket gets the sack. 

Whether it be Duncan Fletcher, David Lloyd, whoever, someone always seems to pay the price for our abject failure to compete on the global one-day stage. Paul Downton is just the latest victim.

It is high time that we looked at the entire structure of English cricket and the reasons we are incapable of producing the types of cricketer required to succeed in international one-day cricket.

Paul Downton has left his role as managing director of England and Wales Cricket Board

Moores (from left to right), Downton and England captain Alastair Cook during the press conference

The system is broken and it desperately needs fixing if England are ever going to compete in limited-overs cricket again. 

Make no mistake, sacking Paul Downton does not mean some magic wand has been waved and all will be well. There are deep systemic problems.

Too many of the current selectors and coaches are from the old guard and have failed to keep pace with the dramatic changes that have occurred in one-day cricket in recent years. 

From Downton to coach Peter Moores, to selectors James Whitaker and Angus Fraser, these are players from a different era who have been painfully slow to react to situations. 

Downton (left) and Peter Moores (right) pose during a press conference at Lord's Cricket Ground

Downton leaves his role as ECB managing director following England's shameful performance at World Cup

Even the sacking of Alastair Cook as one-day captain was a slow and protracted affair. They should have acted sooner.

Like so much of English sport, our cricket system seems afraid of the maverick player and that has to change. 

In my view there is still too much bad blood around for Kevin Pietersen to return, with the fall-out from the book causing untold damage to so many relationships that it just seems inconceivable for him to return.

Nasser Hussain believes the sacking of Cook as one-day captain was a slow and protracted affair

I hate it when things become about one individual and believe me, everything that has gone wrong with English cricket has not been down to the handling of Kevin Pietersen; however badly that has been done.

But what is does highlight is the continued fear of the maverick player. From David Gower to Kevin Pietersen, English cricket has shown distrust for anyone who does not conform or fit into a safe stereotype even though all the players who are thriving on the world stage are non-conformists who do things differently.

You wouldn’t find Brendan McCullum or AB de Villiers audacious shot- making in an MCC coaching manual but you will not find two better strikers of a cricket ball on the planet. English cricket needs to learn to embrace the maverick.

Pietersen has rejoined Surrey in the hope of earning a place in the Ashes squad for England this summer

Hussain hopes whoever is appointed to replace Downton is close to the modern game and ahead of the curve

I have been asked if I would like to take on Downton’s job and the short answer is ‘no’. I will do anything I can to help the ECB and English cricket but there are far better candidates than me out there.

Whether it be Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss or anyone else, I just hope whoever they appoint is close to the modern game and ahead of the curve. 

We have been behind it for far too long.Most importantly, it is time to wake up and look at the big picture. Stop finding individuals to scapegoat and carry the can and start looking at the system that is failing to produce the kind of cricketers we need.