The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[hopeforthebest]

I'm retiring from this thread but I hope I shall be allowed to post on T20 threads in the future.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I'll start a collection.

[battingforbell]

This battle has been going on a long time. Flower says he knew KP wanted to retire from ODIs 18 months ago. A year ago they introduce a clause into the Contracts tying together ODIs and t20Is! When KP got news of his IPL contract this year it strengthened his hand. The t20 world cup was looming. He presumed that England would agree to his demands. Otherwise why not bat out the ODIs this summer, take part in the t20 world cup, and then retire? What pushed him to challenge Flower during the West Indies Test Series? Two stubborn individuals fighting for supremacy?

Not maybe money, or even family and fatigue at the bottom of it, but a Shakespearian struggle for power? The Hollow Crown is on BBC2 at the moment. Maybe fanciful but never underestimate two hombres squaring up to each other, mano e mano.

Flower's point will be that he needs control of the dressing room. KP's that he can flex his muscles as a "star" and choose a better lifestyle for himself. They could have walked away from it.

It does credit to neither party. It diverts us from preparation for the South African Series and could seriously disrupt the dressing room. Someone is going to have a long face.

The fall out has not been much discussed. If KP gives in, how is he going to perform? If he is actually forced to play ODIs, then who's dropped to make way? That adds up to an awful lot of resentment for Cook to deal with. If KP doesn't give in and we lose the world cup, then Flower would have to deal with the backlash. This is horribly like a lose lose situation. If a compromise is reached, the current ODI side could be undermined and there is no guarantee that KP will bat well against the 2 moving new balls.

KP is a nightmare to manage. No doubt. I don't think Flower has the 'touch' of light guidance. He is very heavy handed. They are two bulls locking horns. Hopeless. The rest of the side can go to pot.

[Making_Splinters]

If we accept that Central Contract are indeed a good thing - I suspect people would be hard pressed to suggest that they are not - then quite justifiably the Board retain complete responcibility for the players.

What has happened with KP is the product of the ECB suddenly realising that they have given the Dog a little bit to much rope in his lead, something that the dog was fully aware of for quite sometime before he tried to remove the Postman's trousers.

[hopeforthebest]

What has happened with KP is the product of the ECB suddenly realising that they have given the Dog a little bit to much rope in his lead, something that the dog was fully aware of for quite sometime before he tried to remove the Postman's trousers.

Are you posting by iphone from your local after several strong ales?

[ddb]

This thread will never die...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricke ... again.html

[Arthur Crabtree]

I'd be surprised if this is true. There is a lot of rather unethical looking speculation driving this story at the moment.

[hopeforthebest]

In 2010 on the old BBC 606 I wrote an article in which I prophesied that Pietersen would retire from English cricket at the end of 2011. I thought at the time that he would see T20 as a freelance as the way forward. Needless to say I was jumped on from a great height by almost every poster. At the time his form was poor and he had been dropped (rested) from ODI games. I turned out to be wrong as he's still here but it does seem I might have been just a year out.

[shankycricket]

If that article is true and KP wants to miss Test matches for taking part in the IPL, then he can f**k off, for all I care and not be picked for any format ever again. IF it is true. A big IF.

[shankycricket]

I asked Sanjay Manjrekar on Twitter what he thought about this issue and he DMed that he is totally behind Flower on this issue. And he is normally an admirer of KP. Fair to say that KP has ruffled a few feathers with his demands for "change in the international schedule".

[Gingerfinch]

If that article is true and KP wants to miss Test matches for taking part in the IPL, then he can f**k off, for all I care and not be picked for any format ever again. IF it is true. A big IF.

A very big IF but I agree!

[Making_Splinters]

I'd be surprised if this is true. There is a lot of rather unethical looking speculation driving this story at the moment.

Exactly pointless escalation from the media to keep the dead period between international series alive.

[OffStumpYorker]

MS/Ac, agreed Theres a lot of supposition around at the moment, so either KP's PR people are providing leaks or the ECB are providing leaks for the media to try and spin it one way or the other.

It would be interesting to see if KP signs a Central contract at the end of this year, as for him wanting to extend his IPL stint, let him, but then he doesnt become an automatic selection for the test team for the summer and winter of 2013/14. I cant help thinking that hes seen what Gayle did with the WICB and is trying the same with the ECB, which frankly wont work as the ECB is far stronger than the WICB and need KP less than the WICB need the services of Gayle.

My views are widely known on this matter, and that basically is if that is what KP wants then good luck to him, but he's not greater than the England squad as a whole, hes just a small cog in the wheel, if he retires from all international cricket, the England team will still keep playing and an alternative player will be found to fill his shoes.

My personal opinion on his U-turn is that hes seen that England dont really need him, and that he was basically hoping that without him in england would fail, as that didnt happen he really doesnt have any bargaining chips left with the ECB and Selectors.

Hales stepped up to the mark in T20 and hopefully the 99 wasnt a one off, Bell has come back into ODI's and all but cemented the number 2 slot that was KP's with a decent average and SR.

I almost had to laugh when I read KP's remarks about how bad the ECB had treat him, this is a player that was out for 6 months with an Achillies issue which he aggrevated in the IPL in 2009, a player that was stuck with despite being out of form for almost 2 years, who when dropped for the 2010 Pakistan ODI series, blew a public gasket in Twitter saying the ECB had no right to drop him as he was the best English ODI player.

Is england stronger with KP, yes of course it is, can england survive without KP, again yes it can, Basically KP is now an irrelavancy in the shorter formats and a sidenote in the long history of the game.

[battingforbell]

I'd be surprised if this is true. There is a lot of rather unethical looking speculation driving this story at the moment.

Exactly pointless escalation from the media to keep the dead period between international series alive.

You might be right but I doubt it. This might explain why the arguments arose during the West Indies Test Series. KP was fresh back from the IPL.

KP would issue a denial if it wasn't true. We'll see. But I think hopeforthebest is spot on.

[Making_Splinters]

What has happened with KP is the product of the ECB suddenly realising that they have given the Dog a little bit to much rope in his lead, something that the dog was fully aware of for quite sometime before he tried to remove the Postman's trousers.

Are you posting by iphone from your local after several strong ales?

I thought it worked fairly well as an analogy for how things have progressed:

How Central Contracts are supposed to work:

The ECB has complete control over where and when its players play so they can keep them in peak condition for the international game by managing work load and match time to ensure players are both fit and in form.

How Central Contracts and KP have worked out:

The ECB after Stanford realise that it is going to be unrealistic to try and stop their top players going to play in the IPL so they let those who can secure contracts play in the IPL no questions asked unfortunately forgetting that playing extra cricket will have obvious fitness implications. KP bearing in mind how the Central Contracts are supposed to work assumes if the ECB are letting him play in the IPL have already accounted for this and will add in extra rest during the summer, they haven't.

The Dog, leash and postman:

The ECB basically tried to let their players do what they want and ignored the fact that they are supposed to be accounting for everything a centrally contracted player does, they attempted to give their players a little more rope to avoid any conflict down the line forgetting that they are the ones who are supposed to be in charge, KP has realised this and attempted to use the ECBs oversight to secure a final outcome that he has been thinking about for a while justifying it by the ECBs lack of control forcing him into his actions.

Well that's at least how I see it all.