Kevin Pietersen's Autobiography.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Compton and Carberry wanted to carry on playing for England and many more want to play for England, just wanting doesn't mean the Selectors are obliged to agree. You keep laying all this at the door of the ECB but it Downton, Cook and Whitaker, who represent the playing side of cricket England not the ECB board who stood in judgement.

I can't agree that Compton and Carberry being dropped is comparable to KP going. But that isn't the point. You can argue that the ECB had a right or good cause to end KP's career, but not that this was in Kevin's interest, which is what you seemed to be implying, because that's not what he wanted to happen. I think this matters, because Downton tried to suggest this, rather disingenuously.

[sussexpob]

Except he didn't want to stop playing for England. So he didn't come out of it well at all. He wanted to carry on playing. It was the ECB who wanted rid of him. It was by mutual agreement once the ECB told him he would no longer be considered.

Compton and Carberry wanted to carry on playing for England and many more want to play for England, just wanting doesn't mean the Selectors are obliged to agree. You keep laying all this at the door of the ECB but it Downton, Cook and Whitaker, who represent the playing side of cricket England not the ECB board who stood in judgement.

Downton was acting Managing Director of the ECB when he made the decision.

[SaintPowelly]

Why is KPs word being taken as gospel ??

[hopeforthebest]

Legally he wasn't sacked, his contract was terminated by mutual agreement and KP came out of it rather well.

Answer me this......

If KP had done wrong enough to warrant termination of his contract, why was their a "mutual agreement" that the offender came out "pretty well" under? Not sure many employees get taken into the room for a disciplinary and are told, "Hey mate, you have been terrible and we have to sack you, but first we need to know if you will take 6 months of pay and silence, or less to be sacked"????

If anything the very fact that the ECB couldnt legally sack him, but still went to lengths to get rid of him by agreement, shows something was up. If KP had nothing on them then why didnt they just drop him from every single squad and put it down to trust in new players, and past form? His form wasnt great, his knees were playing up, and he is no spring chicken.

They only had to wait a few months before his contract was up.

If KP got more than he would have been paid for being dropped, then surely that is evidence of culpability from the ECB's part?

In the great world of business senior figures are rarely sacked they leave by mutual agreement with pockets jingling with gold, that's the world Downton left to take over this job. Even if they have cause to sack someone they want to avoid the prospect of a legal wrangle and adverse publicity.
I've said before, even on this thread, that they cocked up by simply not leaving him alone and simply not picking him. In fact he gained cash and the freedom to play where and when he wanted to, a very good deal.

[braveneutral]

I had South Park's Chef in mind. I like the Simpsons analogy better.

[Arthur Crabtree]

It was an unwanted benefit of being released, but I dont see at as KP wanting to bring that to the table. For a start, Flower wouldnt have done him a favour like that, and the ECB couldnt risk losing a high profile player and agreeing to terminate a central contract, to join IPL. That would have sent alarm bells ringing for the future.

The ECB could have blocked him playing IPL and dropped him forever without a sniff. The fact their was a negotiation when both sides clearly had fallen out drastically, to me anyway, suggests someone had culpability to protect if it ended up being blown around other forums.

No, Pietersen didn't want his contract to be terminated, but given he would never play again, it was better for him than being left under the auspices of the ECB for another six months.

Downton and ECB friendly journalists, and indeed Cooky, commented that there was a significant reason, or reasons, for the action. But that seemed to be lost as time passed (maybe they realised that accusing him of whistling was going to appear ridiculous, and the dossier disappeared). The ECB has since repeatedly said there has been 'no smoking gun' and fallen back on Downton's reading of the SCG Test that KP was 'disinterested'. and senior players wanted him gone (without saying why).

I wonder if it's going to look like a personal dislike between Flower and Kevin led to the end of his England career, and that Downton was briefed by Flower. Whether that was to make KP a target for post defeat recrimination, or for genuine cricketing reasons it's hard to know. KP was in decline, but only to the same extent Prior, Cook, Bell and Trott were.

[Aidan11]

Why is KPs word being taken as gospel ??

He'd be sued for libel if anything he wrote against the England players/management was untrue.

[Arthur Crabtree]

In the great world of business senior figures are rarely sacked they leave by mutual agreement with pockets jingling with gold, that's the world Downton left to take over this job. Even if they have cause to sack someone they want to avoid the prospect of a legal wrangle and adverse publicity.
I've said before, even on this thread, that they cocked up by simply not leaving him alone and simply not picking him. In fact he gained cash and the freedom to play where and when he wanted to, a very good deal.

It was in the interests of the ecb to definitively end his career, because they couldn't see into the future. They didn't know KP wouldn't blaze runs all over the world while England struggled. If that happened, recalling him would have appeared obvious. They wanted him to be to be beyond selection.

[SaintPowelly]

Why is KPs word being taken as gospel ??

He'd be sued for libel if anything he wrote against the England players/management was untrue.

Only if it can be proved that hes lying. Its annoying that he paints himself as a saint in every scenario.

[hopeforthebest]

Except he didn't want to stop playing for England. So he didn't come out of it well at all. He wanted to carry on playing. It was the ECB who wanted rid of him. It was by mutual agreement once the ECB told him he would no longer be considered.

Compton and Carberry wanted to carry on playing for England and many more want to play for England, just wanting doesn't mean the Selectors are obliged to agree. You keep laying all this at the door of the ECB but it Downton, Cook and Whitaker, who represent the playing side of cricket England not the ECB board who stood in judgement.

Downton was acting Managing Director of the ECB when he made the decision.

Collier was CEO of the ECB, Downton is only responsible for the cricket side of things.

[hopeforthebest]

AC 80% of what you say is just conjecture and assumption. Either that or we now know who ghosted his book, it was you.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Downton was acting Managing Director of the ECB when he made the decision.

Yes, this is something Kevin flags up.

My view: It wasn't Downton's decision to make. Not only that, it wasn't a decision he was competent to make. He was new to his job, having been (ironically) distant from English cricket. He based his decision on a single game in extreme circumstances. He even blamed his cockeyed statements on not being aware of social media!

It seems likely that Flower wanted to sack KP as his leaving present to English cricket. But he could hardly do that himself as he was on his way. No doubt he was the senior figure that didn't want KP. Remember, Bell and Broad have said their opinion wasn't sought.

[rich1uk]

continuing the simpsons theme and seeing his description of stuart broad I guess this would be his character

[Arthur Crabtree]

AC 80% of what you say is just conjecture and assumption. Either that or we now know who ghosted his book, it was you.

Apart from the bit I prefaced with in my view, I've just retold what we know. I'm one of the few people who has continually taken Downton at his word. That he ended KP's career because he thought he was 'disinterested' in Sydney. When England were getting stuffed 5-0. When I suggested it might be at Flower's request, I flagged up it as a hunch. But then, Downton's other clincher was senior figures didn't want KP, so it doesn't seem much of a guess.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Besides, it's what I've always said, and KP's reading of events is backing me up. Apart from his regard for Cooky, which has surprised me.