The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[Making_Splinters]

The title of this thread might need changing fairly shortly by the sounds of things.

Seems the ECB might have badly misjudged leaking the KP story to the papers.

[ddb]

Really hope not. No one at the moment can play innings like that 149, really. He is unique and retirement will prevent him going down as a great.

[D/L]

It’d be a blow to lose Pietersen’s services if the rumours are true. However, it’d be worse for one player to try to hold the game to ransom if that is the intention. More information needed, I think…

[Alviro Patterson]

It’d be a blow to lose Pietersen’s services if the rumours are true. However, it’d be worse for one player to try to hold the game to ransom if that is the intention. More information needed, I think…

Aye, particularly when KP says this:

"There's always speculation. There's speculation every single day. You guys speculate about my life all day every day. I'm going to make some decisions that will make me very happy."

It doesn't help when one week KP reconsiders his ODI retirement then sensationally demands to play in whole IPL next year along with a stint in the Big Bash. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a dressing room bust up and an England player decided to speak his own mind, followed with Matt Prior's bat flying around the changing room and Ricky Pontings glove smashing a television screen.

[Making_Splinters]

It’d be a blow to lose Pietersen’s services if the rumours are true. However, it’d be worse for one player to try to hold the game to ransom if that is the intention. More information needed, I think…

Aye, particularly when KP says this:

"There's always speculation. There's speculation every single day. You guys speculate about my life all day every day. I'm going to make some decisions that will make me very happy."

It doesn't help when one week KP reconsiders his ODI retirement then sensationally demands to play in whole IPL next year along with a stint in the Big Bash. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a dressing room bust up and an England player decided to speak his own mind, followed with Matt Prior's bat flying around the changing room and Ricky Pontings glove smashing a television screen.

No what doesn't help is when the ECB decide to leak the contents of what where supposed to be private meetings between the player and the board to the Press in the aim to attempt to grab some leaverage.

The ECB are responcible for this entire mess blowing up as it now has done, no one else.

[ddb]

Yeah agree, surprising no journo has touched on that.

[Arthur Crabtree]

As this is a key part of KP's resentment, this has backfired for the ECB. But only knowing pieces of the story, it is impossible to draw conclusions.

I'm sureKP will be there next week. If he's not, I'll do everyone who posts on here's ironing for a year. If feasible.

[yorker_129-7]

I suppose it comes down to who needs who more. Does the England test team need KP more than KP needs the test team, or vice versa? In reality it's probably both and I predict a rather messy divorce on the way.

But without the exposure playing on the international stage brings will KP still earn the mega-bucks in these T20 competitions if his form starts to dry up (and there are some pretty long gaps between some of them).

There's probably only one player who is likely to benefit from this, and that's Ian Bell, who now has the chance to take on the KP mantle in tests as well as ODIs. He won't play the same way, of course, but I'd back him to flourish.

[ddb]

KP's IPL money won't go anywhere but up if he's more available, can do a Chris Gayle.

[Making_Splinters]

The same Gayle who's made a fairly swift return to the West Indies?

People seem to forget that a player becomes massively less marketable for sponsers when they stop being the face of their country and simply become a fleeting face between domestic brands that have little global impact.

[ddb]

India is different though. Especially once a player is established.

[Arthur Crabtree]

KP earns a lot of money from playing for England. One way or another. That can only be challenged or surpassed by IPL. I'm not sure what he will get out of the BBL. Not money, not status, not a legacy. Not even love. He may only have three more years. Is IPL enough?

[ddb]

http://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/sport/vid ... 64009.html

[Making_Splinters]

To be honest, I'm finding it very difficult to disagree with anything KP says there.

[Alviro Patterson]

It’d be a blow to lose Pietersen’s services if the rumours are true. However, it’d be worse for one player to try to hold the game to ransom if that is the intention. More information needed, I think…

Aye, particularly when KP says this:

"There's always speculation. There's speculation every single day. You guys speculate about my life all day every day. I'm going to make some decisions that will make me very happy."

It doesn't help when one week KP reconsiders his ODI retirement then sensationally demands to play in whole IPL next year along with a stint in the Big Bash. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a dressing room bust up and an England player decided to speak his own mind, followed with Matt Prior's bat flying around the changing room and Ricky Pontings glove smashing a television screen.

No what doesn't help is when the ECB decide to leak the contents of what where supposed to be private meetings between the player and the board to the Press in the aim to attempt to grab some leaverage.

The ECB are responcible for this entire mess blowing up as it now has done, no one else.

It takes two to tango and KP hasn't exactly denied making such demands, which is quite alarming and hasn't learned from why he has had to retire from limited overs cricket. It's not as if the ECB have publically revealed private aspects of a players life, Ravi Bopara's withdrawl from the South Africa test squad remains private.

ECB are only protecting the national team, last thing England need is their contracted players to pick and choose games so they can swan off and play in rival boards domestic tournaments. KP should've saved all this aggro by retiring from all formats of international cricket.