The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[Making_Splinters]

Now that Pietersen has publicly claimed he has problems in the England dressing room this dispute has moved to an uglier level and can only be solved by him leaving that dressing room immediately. The team have clearly underperformed most of this year and it's not beyond belief that Pietersen's presence has contributed to that. If he's unhappy get him out before it harms the team anymore.

So the man who's batting has kept us in this series and won the second test in Sri Lanka is contributing to the team underperforming?

Strange I don't remember such hysteria over Swann when he attacked a player in his autobiography who he was sharing a dressing room with at the time and is still sharing a dressing room with. In fact Swann has been stoking the entire Twitter situation on Twitter himself but obviously he's not the problem KP is.

[shankycricket]

I criticised Swann for his antics and I am doing the same with KP.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I don't think just accepting the outcome that KP stops playing for England is very positive. The outcome should be that the best England team should take the pitch, and we should do what we can to work towards that.

KP is in a mid-late career boom. I'd like England to benefit from that.

[shankycricket]

Yes, the best team should play rather than the collection of best individuals.

[hopeforthebest]

By suggesting that he has problems in the dressing room Pietersen has taken this problem to a different level Having a dispute with his employer is one thing but having a dispute with your team mates is quite another. A cricket team live cheek by jowl with each other for weeks on end and any ill feeling by one toward other team mates is bound to affect team performance.

[D/L]

Yes, if Pietersen’s remarks on that subject mean there is a serious rift between him and the other players, it would be better that he didn’t play at Lords, let alone any time afterwards.

[Making_Splinters]

By suggesting that he has problems in the dressing room Pietersen has taken this problem to a different level Having a dispute with his employer is one thing but having a dispute with your team mates is quite another. A cricket team live cheek by jowl with each other for weeks on end and any ill feeling by one toward other team mates is bound to affect team performance.

Again take Swann who criticised players in the same dressing room as him and has been stoking this whole Twitter nonsense despite it been made clear in the public domain that a player in the same dressing room is finding it very upsetting. But of course KP the individual who has been saving and winning matches for England with his batting is the problem.

But KP should be thrown out of the dressing room whereas Swann gets away with it, talk about double standards.

[Arthur Crabtree]

A group of highly motivated blokes living together in hotels and dressing rooms. I expect divisions and cliques and disputes and ongoing feuds are constantly part of the problems of management. Keeping them focused on the truth that an ongoing acceptable truce is advantageous to them all, can't be that difficult. It must be the state of most dressing rooms.

[hopeforthebest]

By suggesting that he has problems in the dressing room Pietersen has taken this problem to a different level Having a dispute with his employer is one thing but having a dispute with your team mates is quite another. A cricket team live cheek by jowl with each other for weeks on end and any ill feeling by one toward other team mates is bound to affect team performance.

Again take Swann who criticised players in the same dressing room as him and has been stoking this whole Twitter nonsense despite it been made clear in the public domain that a player in the same dressing room is finding it very upsetting. But of course KP the individual who has been saving and winning matches for England with his batting is the problem.

But KP should be thrown out of the dressing room whereas Swann gets away with it, talk about double standards.

Cricket is a team game not a one man band. Pietersen needs support from others in order to perform and they need support from him.

[Making_Splinters]

Oh indeed Arthur: Look at Gibbs autobiography, the clashes between Clarke and Katich, Ganguly just in and of himself, Sammy and Gayle - Or most of the West Indies team and WICB!

But no, KP should be thrown out of the dressing room.

[Making_Splinters]

By suggesting that he has problems in the dressing room Pietersen has taken this problem to a different level Having a dispute with his employer is one thing but having a dispute with your team mates is quite another. A cricket team live cheek by jowl with each other for weeks on end and any ill feeling by one toward other team mates is bound to affect team performance.

Again take Swann who criticised players in the same dressing room as him and has been stoking this whole Twitter nonsense despite it been made clear in the public domain that a player in the same dressing room is finding it very upsetting. But of course KP the individual who has been saving and winning matches for England with his batting is the problem.

But KP should be thrown out of the dressing room whereas Swann gets away with it, talk about double standards.

Cricket is a team game not a one man band. Pietersen needs support from others in order to perform and they need support from him.

Again look at the examples above given about Swann who has made public attacks at KP both in the past and right now, you're scapegoating KP while ignoring the actions of other players in the same dressing room.

[D/L]

It all depends upon the nature of any friction. It is quite right to say that most instances are manageable. Some, however, may not be. For a player to go public on “problems in the dressing room” indicates a degree of seriousness.

All we can do is speculate. It is up to the team management to determine the best course of action in this instance and that should not preclude Pietersen not playing at Lords, if necessary.

[Making_Splinters]

It all depends upon the nature of any friction. It is quite right to say that most instances are manageable. Some, however, may not be. For a player to go public on “problems in the dressing room” indicates a degree of seriousness.

All we can do is speculate. It is up to the team management to determine the best course of action in this instance and that should not preclude Pietersen not playing at Lords, if necessary.

So Swann making comments in his autobiography and on twitter isn't "public"?

Look back at Fred - the biggest generator of friction England has seen since Gower and Gooch - don't remember many calling for him to be thrown out of the dressing room.

One set of standards for KP and one set everyone else seems to be a running theme in this thread!

[hopeforthebest]

Oh indeed Arthur: Look at Gibbs autobiography, the clashes between Clarke and Katich, Ganguly just in and of himself, Sammy and Gayle - Or most of the West Indies team and WICB!

But no, KP should be thrown out of the dressing room.

Both Katich and Ganguly got the sack.

[Making_Splinters]

Oh indeed Arthur: Look at Gibbs autobiography, the clashes between Clarke and Katich, Ganguly just in and of himself, Sammy and Gayle - Or most of the West Indies team and WICB!

But no, KP should be thrown out of the dressing room.

Both Katich and Ganguly got the sack.

Kattich was thrown out by the Captain who was generating the problems in the first place and Ganguly is still regarded as one of the finest captains India has ever had.