England end KP's international career.

[Making_Splinters]

I imagine England are hoping that KP doesn't play for Surrey next season. If he goes away and scores bucket loads of runs in the LVCC while the new players flounder, they are going to look a little silly.

[bigfluffylemon]

Wow. Australia's victory over England is complete. Three key players in Trott, Swann and Pietersen all had their careers prematurely terminated, and the coach too.

There can be no cricketing reason for KP's dismissal. This must be personality. But this is confirmation, if ever we needed it, that a brief golden period for England is over. We England fans have got used to success over the last four or five years, and KP has usually been at the forefront of that success.

So long, KP, and thanks. It's never been dull.

[GGAS]

I imagine England are hoping that KP doesn't play for Surrey next season. If he goes away and scores bucket loads of runs in the LVCC while the new players flounder, they are going to look a little silly.

This is what I was thinking. It's going to look so bad if he's averaging 50+ in the CC and our middle order still can't buy a run.

[GarlicJam]

Wow. Australia's victory over England is complete. Three key players in Trott, Swann and Pietersen all had their careers prematurely terminated, and the coach too.

Good point. Before the Ashes, if you had asked Lehmann (say) who in the England team would he like to see the end of, those three would be in the top five along with Cook and Anderson, who both had tours to forget.

[backfootpunch]

i cant see the sense in singling out one person when pretty much everyone bar broad and stokes had a horror show of a series

especially when this player was the second highest run scorer in the series and when there isnt really anyone who is pushing to replace him

an england batting line up without trott and kp looks very frail to me

[Alviro Patterson]

I imagine England are hoping that KP doesn't play for Surrey next season. If he goes away and scores bucket loads of runs in the LVCC while the new players flounder, they are going to look a little silly.

Not really, Mark Ramprakash scored a shed load of runs in 2009 and there was widespread calls to play him at The Oval. England resisted the calls and gave Jonathan Trott his test debut.

[bigfluffylemon]

I imagine England are hoping that KP doesn't play for Surrey next season. If he goes away and scores bucket loads of runs in the LVCC while the new players flounder, they are going to look a little silly.

Not really, Mark Ramprakash scored a shed load of runs in 2009 and there was widespread calls to play him at The Oval. England resisted the calls and gave Jonathan Trott his test debut.

The difference there is that Ramps was never a world-class international batsman. For him, shedloads of runs in domestic cricket never transferred to international level. Whereas if KP shows form at domestic level, the selectors and the public will know that he would be able to transfer that form to the international arena.

[Gingerfinch]

Scoring runs in the CC is irrelevant, as he hasn't been sacked for cricketing reasons.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Scoring runs in the CC is irrelevant, as he hasn't been sacked for cricketing reasons.

Exactly, its got nothing to do with his ability, his current form or his potential to score runs at test level in the future. The powers that be are using this opportunity, after the worst England tour in history, to do something they wanted to do a while back.

I can't remember anyone in the past who has been specifically told that they won't play for England again, dropped unceremonioulsly maybe, but told that you ain't playing again ever? He must have ticked off a load of people over the years, and his cumulative misdemeanours have finally outweighed his potential to score runs for England.

[from_the_stands]

This is a bit of a win-win-win-win-lose situation. Members of the England team win because they've seen the back of KP. A young up and coming player wins because he'll get KP's place. Opposition international teams win because England will now be a weaker team. And KP wins because he can now open himself up to various offers around the world, especially the IPL. The team loses because he's one of their best players. This will be the biggest cricket story of the year.

[D/L]

This is a bit of a win-win-win-win-lose situation. Members of the England team win because they've seen the back of KP. A young up and coming player wins because he'll get KP's place. Opposition international teams win because England will now be a weaker team. And KP wins because he can now open himself up to various offers around the world, especially the IPL. The team loses because he's one of their best players. This will be the biggest cricket story of the year.

Will England really be a weaker team? Pietersen has been more of a liability than an asset on the field for some time now and a definite liability off the field for ages.

Pietersen had become too "high maintenance" to justify his place and it seems that pragmatism, albeit belatedly and dressed up in weasel words, has finally made the management do the right thing.

[Aidan11]

I think there'll be more fallout to come.

Sneers Morgan has been laying into Cook on Twitter. All his followers have followed suit.

Wouldn't be surprised if Cook resigned as skipper.

[SaintPowelly]

Notts, Hants and England all want(ed) rid of him, yet im sure EVERYONE else is the problem.

[D/L]

I think there'll be more fallout to come.

Sneers Morgan has been laying into Cook on Twitter. All his followers have followed suit.

Wouldn't be surprised if Cook resigned as skipper.

I'd espect Cook to have a little more about him than to resign over some sniping by the likes of Morgan.

Any road up, with Pietersen gone, his task as captain (the dressing room and other off field stuff) should now be considerably easier.

[D/L]

Interestingly (perhaps), on the wireless today, they were speaking to the Chairman of a cricket lover's society which Richard Blakey (ex Yorkshire and England keeper) had been addressing yesterday evening.

Apparently, Blakey asked for a show of hands amongst about 150 members as to whether Pietersen's sacking was a good thing for the future of English cricket and approximately 70% indicated that it was.

The society was based in Lancashire though, so this must come with a caveat. They can't be wrong all the time, though.