Will anyone mourn the coach's departure?
Mark Greatbatch’s time at Warwickshire has been far from happy, and with his contract about to be ended with a year to run, it would be easy to dismiss his departure as just another example of someone jettisoned because of the failure of his team.
It was his fault that Mark Wagh left. It was his fault that Moeen Ali left. It was his fault that he alienated senior players like Michael Powell and Brown who had only the best interests of the club at heart. And it was his fault that the side played unattractive cricket. For Greatbatch distrusts flair. Supporters had neither success nor entertainment to savour.
There will, generally, be a sense of relief in the dressing-room. At the end of the 2006 season, Greatbatch was detested by several players; by mid-2007, he was irrelevant to nearly all of them. He offered little hands-on coaching and had little that was inspirational to give in terms of personal example or communication skills.
Martin Williamson is executive editor of ESPNcricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa