The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[Arthur Crabtree]

http://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/sport/video_audio/164009.html

Ha. I loved that. It has already been quoted, but more intense to see it!

ECB and KP both feel they have the higher moral ground. So that doesn't auger well for a solution.

Great stuff.

But nothing there to say KP won't be playing next week.

[Making_Splinters]

The ECBs actions have nothing to do with protecting the national game, they leaked what was in their own words supposed to be private meetings between the two parties into the press knowing full well what the responce to it would be.

They are the sole party responsible for what is now happening and they got it badly wrong.

[Making_Splinters]

http://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/sport/video_audio/164009.html

Ha. I loved that. It has already been quoted, but more intense to see it!

ECB and KP both feel they have the higher moral ground. So that doesn't auger well for a solution.

Great stuff.

But nothing there to say KP won't be playing next week.

The one thing from it I took was that this isn't about money anymore, KP is genuinely angry about how he has been treated.

[Arthur Crabtree]

He probably has a point. We don't know if Kevin provoked them. But then we can't presume he did. Like KP says, we have to wait. But the obvious point is that something will break next week.

[Making_Splinters]

Of course he provoked them to a certain extent by making the demands in the first place, but I have to agree with him on the way things have rolled out.

[sussexpob]

Put simply this disclosure from Pietersen highlights two issues for me.

Firstly, that people in the ECB must have heightened opinions of themselves to the point where they are over the law. Last time I looked an employer had a duty of care to protect things discussed in confidence between them and an employer.... I find it frankly an abomination that this has happened and everyone involved should be shown the door at the ECB.

Secondly, in order to leak this story to the press you either have to show such an air of negligent disrespect towards the privacy of the player in question you don't consider the consequences, or would have calculated that releasing this information would have a negative effect on the said player public image and went and done it either way.....

Either way, it hardly speaks of a professional and impartial backroom staff treating the players like gentleman and human beings.... If anything, its further evidence for the witch-hunt argument that I have touted on this thread. The ECB management went after KP and have systematically tried to destroy his public reputation after he turned his back on the team, no doubt in some kind of self justification exercise.

Anyone who is still arguing about KP making demands needs to wake up and smell the coffee.... ever wonder why a player could become so problematic? Is this not evidence of malpractice and mistreatment to a criminal level?

[greyblazer]

It would be a sad day for cricket but it looks like he will retire after the last test against Saff. I usually don't consider batsmen as match winners but he is one of the few that I can think of as a true match winner.

Anyone in his place would be unhappy with all those leaks.It was up-to KP and ECB to come out with a compromise like the rules will stay but just for t/20 worlds we will allow you to play. To go into t/20 WC held in alien conditions in SL without your best player makes ECB look very foolish indeed.

As far as IPL is concerned it is tougher to find a solution. In-fact ECB are lucky that KP is one of the very few players from England who plays in the IPL. It isn't the case with WI, SL or, NZ. If you are over 30 and look at a league that offers you money for just say 8-10 overs of batting it is natural that players will be tempted to play.

Dressing room problems? KP never seems to be liked by anyone but for an outsider it looked like he had a working relationship with Strauss and co.You never felt KP was on talking terms with Jimmy and Swann though. When KP was the captain in 08 he was treating Jimmy almost like a part-timer. It got to such a stage that after he got S'wag out in the 1st innings at Chennai leave alone doing high fives with your captain he didn't even look at him There was also this incident in the 2nd innings when Yuvraj was smashing Jimmy all over the park and KP kept using the fword all the time to him Colly seemed to be his one and only friend. For an outsider though it is hard to comment.

The only national coach who can say that he handled KP well? DF.

[mikesiva]

As far as IPL is concerned it is tougher to find a solution. In-fact ECB are lucky that KP is one of the very few players from England who plays in the IPL. It isn't the case with WI, SL or, NZ. If you are over 30 and look at a league that offers you money for just say 8-10 overs of batting it is natural that players will be tempted to play.

I think that is at the crux of it all....

I'm sure KP would like to play an entire IPL, but if England are playing a home series against the Kiwis that starts at the beginning of May, it's not surprising that this conflict has escalated to this level.

[mikesiva]

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.

If 18 months is a swift return, then....

Gayle made more money in 18 months away from West Indies cricket than he did playing for the West Indies. It's possible KP could do the same, and then see what happens in 18 months' time.

[greyblazer]

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.

If 18 months is a swift return, then....

Gayle made more money in 18 months away from West Indies cricket than he did playing for the West Indies. It's possible KP could do the same, and then see what happens in 18 months' time.

ECB guys seem to be more stubborn than WI board. If he retires it is all over for him.

[meninblue]

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.

If 18 months is a swift return, then....

Gayle made more money in 18 months away from West Indies cricket than he did playing for the West Indies. It's possible KP could do the same, and then see what happens in 18 months' time.

ECB guys seem to be more stubborn than WI board. If he retires it is all over for him.

WestIndies in recent decades were a struggling team even with the presence of Gayle. But Gayle won matches on his own. Matchwinners are required and they make a lot of difference to the team. Also, with Chanderpauls retirement to come soon they need someone who can actually perform and get the crowd at matches, so that the WICB too earns money by means of spectators tickets and television rights.

Whereas England won the ODI series without KP comfortably. iirc it was a whitewash. Also, they have excellent players in their playing 11 unlike West Indies. the situation confronting WICB and ECB are different, and i think ECB won't look to patch up with players who move away from them for whatever reason it may be.

[andy]

ok we all know that KP has a lot of be blamed for in this issue, however i dont think the ECB have handled this in the right way at all...Flower did by being firm on his decision, however ecb leaking private interviews etc to the press was the completely wrong way to go about this.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I find it difficult to understand why Pietersen can have such support in the ground, but such reflex disapproval outside.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/19 ... _113338517

[Arthur Crabtree]

I think you get quite a lot of Daily Mail types on the BBC. The view on other sites seems to be more balanced.

[greyblazer]

Ah, no comments

http://www.themiddlestump.com/2012/08/t ... naire.html