The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[hopeforthebest]

ECB now want KP to apologise for rise in the train fares.

[hopeforthebest]

Pietersen may havr missed a trick here, of he'd held out longer he could have got the captaincy back.

[ChrisQ]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/577393.html

The apology presumably constituted an admission of guilt and as such leaves him at risk of a heavy fine, a suspension or both. If England's managing director, Hugh Morris, continues to pursue a hard line it could automatically rule him out of a tournament in which he desperately wants to take part in.

Can't win can he?

Damned if he does. Damned if he doesn't.

Shouldn't have sent the texts then. Last week, he had the option to deny or downplay the messages, not just admit guilt, but didn't. If he had done, it would have been a lot less painful.

I'm glad the apology has come eventually. Would have been a lot easier had this been done last week. As fallible as the ECB are, there is air that needs to be cleared between KP and the team and hopefully this apology is the first step towards that.

Precisely. That's all he had to do. Apologize just like he did today but do it during the half-a-day the selectors gave him to do it and right now he would be in the squad for the third test. The fact that he has apologized over the texts basically confirms what was strongly suspected already - the texts were real and were probably quite derogatory.

The ECB are now in a spot of bother, if they now include KP in the T20 squad they will be shown as weak if they don't they will be shown as inflexible bullies. Congratulations Kevin Pietersen for a job well done.

How so? They asked for him to apologize. KP did so. So if they include him in the T20 how is it that the ECB would be considered weak for actually doing as they hinted that they would?

Maybe you're following a different story or line of reasoning but if the ECB indicated that they delayed the squad selection in order to give KP time to apologize, then logically it must mean they were quite open to including him in the squad once he apologized in the time given. So if they were gonna include him in the Test squad after a simple apology, why are they weak if they include him in the T20 squad after the apology? I honestly don't understanding how sticking to an implied agreement can be considered as "weak".

If they don't include him then sure they would be seen as inflexible. But being seen as weak for including him in the squad after he apologized?

[hopeforthebest]

The ECB gave Pietersen ample time to apologise before the squad for this test was announced, now he apologises just in time to get selected for the T20 WC which he proclained from day one was importantant to him. If he's given that prize he will be seen as the winner.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Quite disappointed that Pietersen has been backed into a corner here regarding this apology, and taken the only way out that would preserve his England career. The ECB's credibility has been destroyed by their actions this summer, and their treatment of KP, who has little dignity intact. I'd like to see some proper journalism on this, as to who has been doing what at the ECB and the role of the press.

This is the almost the saddest I've felt about English cricket in the years I've been following it. Maybe since the rebel tours. This is such a low.

[hopeforthebest]

The ECB's credibility has been destroyed by their actions this summer, and their treatment of KP, who has little dignity intact.

Pietersen will have a dnner party to celebrate his victory if he's in the T20 squad. Broad who KP's pal Piers Morgan accused of being behind the Paradoy twitters will be delighted I'm sure.

[Arthur Crabtree]

The atmosphere around the story puts me in mind of the hasty and frenzied self importance and self satisfaction of a lynching. And although he is far too lenient on the ECB, this is one of the more balanced newspaper articles around, by Vic Marks. One of very few.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... frica-test

[hopeforthebest]

Extract from cricinfo.

"evin Pietersen has apologised to the ECB over the derogatory text messages that he sent about members of the England dressing room to South Africa players in a last-ditch attempt to gain forgiveness and be selected for World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

Pietersen and his representatives were waiting on Tuesday evening for the ECB to respond to his gesture with Saturday's deadline for naming England's World Twenty20 party looming ever closer.

The apology presumably constituted an admission of guilt and as such leaves him at risk of a heavy fine, a suspension or both. If England's managing director, Hugh Morris, continues to pursue a hard line it could automatically rule him out of a tournament in which he desperately wants to take part in."

[hopeforthebest]

The atmosphere around the story puts me in mind of the hasty and frenzied self importance and self satisfaction of a lynching. And although he is far too lenient on the ECB, this is one of the more balanced newspaper articles around, by Vic Marks. One of very few.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... frica-test

Vic Marks has always had a soft spot for spin bowlers, Pietersens 4 wickets have addled his thought processes.

[ddb]

The atmosphere around the story puts me in mind of the hasty and frenzied self importance and self satisfaction of a lynching. And although he is far too lenient on the ECB, this is one of the more balanced newspaper articles around, by Vic Marks. One of very few.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... frica-test

It's extremely strange. If you've read CI on all this, they've been okay, certainly in comparison to the Mail.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I've not seen that much of cricinfo. Some of the comments below that Guardian editorial link you posted raise points that might be answered somewhere in the media.

[yorker_129-7]

Compared to the Mail, everyone's balanced.

[backfootpunch]

The ECB gave Pietersen ample time to apologise before the squad for this test was announced, now he apologises just in time to get selected for the T20 WC which he proclained from day one was importantant to him. If he's given that prize he will be seen as the winner.

nobody will come out the winner in this farce, apart from south africa maybe

[Arthur Crabtree]

Should suspend KP from the home NZ series next spring and a couple of ODI series....

[SaintPowelly]

Just seen a quote from Swann on skysports news.

We need to pull in same direction, Not 10 of us doing it and 1 of us not.