The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[shankycricket]

Strauss said that KP's selection for the Lord's Test was "untenable". Not very helpful IMO.

[Kim]

Strauss said that KP's selection for the Lord's Test was "untenable". Not very helpful IMO.

If it was "tenable", hed be playing.

[Arthur Crabtree]

At least we didn't send out Tim Bresnan again today.

I remember people saying after a T20 match he skippered, that Swann should be England's limited overs skipper. It's on days like this that it's obvious why he isn't.

[m@tt]

At least we didn't send out Tim Bresnan again today.

I remember people saying after a T20 match he skippered, that Swann should be England's limited overs skipper. It's on days like this that it's obvious why he isn't.

And he's said as much himself - he loves the fielding and tactics side of it, hates the man management and off the field stuff.

[D/L]

Arthur, it would have been easy for Strauss to walk in and end KPs international career by saying "I want him gone" and that would have been that, but he didn't. In the three or so statements he's made - I'm not sure how many times he's actually talked but I've seen a couple of independent sets of quotes from him - he's taken a much more difficult route:

Firstly by making sure that KP knows he's not another one who's using the situation to get their personal knives in his back by publically saying they get on. Secondly he's taken a stance of it's not a single individual who is the issue - unlike the 10 - 1 comments some of his team mates have been throwing about - by saying that the team has to have a mutual respect of each other essentially if 10 people do not respect 1 person then the 10 are in the wrong just as much as the 1 is. Finally he's actually criticised everyone's handling of the issue by repeatedly saying that he dislikes such issues being in public and making express mention of Press Statements which is something that no one else aside from a handfull of posters on here and a couple of other comments sections have been prepared to draw fault with, it comes as no great suprise that Morris has made such explicit comments about the importance of the issue from here on out being behind closed doors since Strauss has stepped in.

That's not the party line, that's a far more difficult path to tread and he has done so in the vein of a master diplomat.

I don’t think there was ever a chance that Strauss would say, “I want him gone”, whatever he thought, M_S.

For me, Strauss said just enough about respect for each other, without overdoing it and inadvertently conveying the impression that all were equally to blame in this fiasco.

Yes, credit to the man. He’s handled this brilliantly, I think.

[yorker_129-7]

Strauss said that KP's selection for the Lord's Test was "untenable". Not very helpful IMO.

It was untenable. With accusation and counter-accusation flying around picking him was a recipe for disaster. Until this mess has either been sorted or the initial heat of the situation has died down then picking him would continue to be untenable. Would he even be in the correct frame of mind to bat on Thursday?

[Alviro Patterson]

Strauss said that KP's selection for the Lord's Test was "untenable". Not very helpful IMO.

It was untenable. With accusation and counter-accusation flying around picking him was a recipe for disaster. Until this mess has either been sorted or the initial heat of the situation has died down then picking him would continue to be untenable. Would he even be in the correct frame of mind to bat on Thursday?

Of course he would, this is Kevin Pietersen we are talking about. A bloke with skin thicker than an elephant, nerves stronger than Sheffield steel, a batsman with more prowess than Don Bradman, a man who possess a voice of an angel and has millions of screaming fans who bow down to him as he enters the crease and female fans who want his babies.

[Making_Splinters]

Arthur, it would have been easy for Strauss to walk in and end KPs international career by saying "I want him gone" and that would have been that, but he didn't. In the three or so statements he's made - I'm not sure how many times he's actually talked but I've seen a couple of independent sets of quotes from him - he's taken a much more difficult route:

Firstly by making sure that KP knows he's not another one who's using the situation to get their personal knives in his back by publically saying they get on. Secondly he's taken a stance of it's not a single individual who is the issue - unlike the 10 - 1 comments some of his team mates have been throwing about - by saying that the team has to have a mutual respect of each other essentially if 10 people do not respect 1 person then the 10 are in the wrong just as much as the 1 is. Finally he's actually criticised everyone's handling of the issue by repeatedly saying that he dislikes such issues being in public and making express mention of Press Statements which is something that no one else aside from a handfull of posters on here and a couple of other comments sections have been prepared to draw fault with, it comes as no great suprise that Morris has made such explicit comments about the importance of the issue from here on out being behind closed doors since Strauss has stepped in.

That's not the party line, that's a far more difficult path to tread and he has done so in the vein of a master diplomat.

I don’t think there was ever a chance that Strauss would say, “I want him gone”, whatever he thought, M_S.

For me, Strauss said just enough about respect for each other, without overdoing it and inadvertently conveying the impression that all were equally to blame in this fiasco.

Yes, credit to the man. He’s handled this brilliantly, I think.

Strauss was defintely talking in the future tense when it came to his comments about mutual respect in essence saying moving forward when this is all over it will not be acept for a clique to have fun at an individuals expense, be it 5 ro 6 or even 10 to 1 noth parties will be equally responcible for resolving the situation inside the dressing room.

As for the comment I made about Strauss ending KPs career, I was more refering to him having a far easier option than the comments he made, behind closed doors he could have made the situation far more difficult for a resolution that would see KP back in the side but he has publicly chosen to not isolate any player.

Like I say I'm impressed by the holistic views Strauss presented, he chose to criticise the entire situation rather than attacking either side which was highly refreshing to see.

[Dilbert]

Apparently, the individual concerned has stated that no cricketers were involved in the “spoof” account.
Drop Broad for cricketing reasons, but not on the basis of tittle-tattle.

Well, apperently, the SA cricketers, their manager etc also said that the texts were mere banter and not serious. But wasnt that taken as very serious and not ignored as tittle-tattle?

Very funny, these excuses to defend players like Broad and Swann.

Yes, KP did something which he shouldnt have done, but others(read Broad and Swann) arent angels... infact they are stoking the fire and getting away scott free.

[#Brown]

I feel like I may have missed something obvious here, but if the content of the texts was just benign banter then why did the players involved, these close friends of kp, feel the need to report their contents to management...as you assume the story would not have come from kp's side?

It's a question Aggers asked of Smith yesterday and one which he couldn't answer. Namely if you're playing the party line of 'wanting to stay out of it' how did the story break in the first place?

[shankycricket]

Apparently, the individual concerned has stated that no cricketers were involved in the “spoof” account.
Drop Broad for cricketing reasons, but not on the basis of tittle-tattle.

Well, apperently, the SA cricketers, their manager etc also said that the texts were mere banter and not serious. But wasnt that taken as very serious and not ignored as tittle-tattle?

Very funny, these excuses to defend players like Broad and Swann.

Yes, KP did something which he shouldnt have done, but others(read Broad and Swann) arent angels... infact they are stoking the fire and getting away scott free.

The double standards are blindingly obvious, arent they?

[Dilbert]

Apparently, the individual concerned has stated that no cricketers were involved in the “spoof” account.
Drop Broad for cricketing reasons, but not on the basis of tittle-tattle.

Well, apperently, the SA cricketers, their manager etc also said that the texts were mere banter and not serious. But wasnt that taken as very serious and not ignored as tittle-tattle?

Very funny, these excuses to defend players like Broad and Swann.

Yes, KP did something which he shouldnt have done, but others(read Broad and Swann) arent angels... infact they are stoking the fire and getting away scott free.

The double standards are blindingly obvious, arent they?

Loved the use of those 2 words shanks

[#Brown]

The severity of what Swann did does not compare, especially when you put into context what he actually said.

Broad on the other hand has done nothing, apart from be friends with someone who thinks he's funny.

[Gingerfinch]

You should be a judge, shanky!

[idlebrain]

Now it seems ECB wants the actual contents of the texts to be revealed.... This almost seems like a witch hunt now!

Some of the things I have observed in this whole saga is

- Increasingly stringent demands (apologies / clarifications / disciplinary actions etc) on KP from ECB
- Stringent application of rules on KP vis-a-vis say, Broad or Swann
- The whole English media seems to be siding with ECB (I have seen media blaming SA for leaking the texts but no such questions on how KP's contract negotiations were leaked to media) etc...

All this leads me to wonder ... if the whole attempt is to make an example out of KP so that nobody dares put IPL above English cricket because if they give in to KP's demand there will be definite long term consequences... other players might demand the same and add to it the potential scenario that IPL might expand further and clash more and more with English Season..

Probably the ECB is doing what it feels is best for the long term interests of ECB...

Just my conspiracy theory!!!