The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[D/L]

...They have isolated the player, whether by leaking contract negotiations (that's all they were) directly to the press. By fining him for a quite defensible criticism of Nick Knight, done publicly. And by waving past criticism and mockery of him by other players.

And when he reacted to any of this, in ways any person would, with an air of disillusionment, despair and vulnerability, they have made bloody sure he further exposed to the one eyed scrutiny of the press who have only ever shown interest in one side of the story. Which has been a bit surprising and very disappointing.

Probably motivated by KP's stance in trying to settle England commitments, the ECB have continually blocked his path to any further England career, and thus entrapped, have requested ever greater humiliation from him in order that he might continue to play for England. If they now suspend him for agreeing to his latest, contorted apology, then that must be the final ignominy. Surely he must have enough self respect left not to agree to that.

It plays out pretty much as an allegory of the individual vs the establishment. And as ever, even those who are not part of the establishment, take their side!

Whilst well expressed, that account of the affair is surreal, truly surreal.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Yes I saw that. Didnt know what Selveys point was really. Same effect isnt it - something in the public realm to your advantage without a provable source?

I repeated it because some were suggesting that it might not have come from a reputable source within the ECB, whereas it was tacked onto the end of a press conference, off the record.

[D/L]

They knew about the texts because of the Daily Mail article. They can't have known anything about them, because they were asking Pietersen to confirm or deny them. I've not read anywhere that the ECB had seen any texts. They didn't say they had. If they had, why would they be asking KP to acknowledge what they were. I thought you'd put me right on this thread that KP had the chance to prove last Sunday that there were no texts?

It may be that members of the South African team knew of the texts even before the Daily Mail did.

[meninblue]

I expect the ICC anti corruption unit and affiliated bodies to share information privately, but the media would never share it privately. Very very rarely would they take that approach.

Think that's ignorant. There's a lot they know about that they wouldn't say for whatever reasons.

Media can be selective about cricket related information because they do not have responsibility to report everything. They are not bound. They can be selective for whatever reason it may be. but the exposure of Salman and his gang, 5 IPL players and now this SMS issue is useful information for ECB.

In this KP issue the news was correct, so at least here they were not liars. Also, by no way i am saying that all that media reports is true. Sometimes they come up with crap like Sachin/Ponting etc are no more good cricketers etc. It is the reader who needs to see what is true and what is false.

[Kim]

They were trying to get KP to play in this test werent they? That why they gave him extra time. What else could they be after?

Well they have more than one agenda. One is picking a credible side to play SA. Another is dealing with Kevin Pietersen! I know that sounds cranky, but it fits with everything else that has happened this summer.

Maybe. Anyway cricket has done a great job of crushing the Olympic high thats for sure.

On a differet note, Stuart Broad captaining a T20 WC side with KP in it should be fun.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Arthur, Indian management and thinktank were keen to get rid of Vinod Kambli due to his antics. Some boards have not at all tolerated the distractions and rightfully so IMO. Players who cause concerns are more likely to be proactively monitored or maybe even sidelined by the administrators if he becomes a regular distraction.

I'm sure the ECB started out trying to defend their contract ideas for ODI cricket, which they felt were threatened by KP's personal demands, particularly concerning T20 and ODI cricket. Has it eventually become a contest, perhaps personality based, the Board protecting what it has in any way possible, with whatever means to hand? It looks that way at the moment.

[Arthur Crabtree]

They were trying to get KP to play in this test werent they? That why they gave him extra time. What else could they be after?

Well they have more than one agenda. One is picking a credible side to play SA. Another is dealing with Kevin Pietersen! I know that sounds cranky, but it fits with everything else that has happened this summer.

Maybe.

I use that maybe a lot myself! OK. Here's to it blowing over without anyone coming to harm.

[hopeforthebest]

If this turns out to be the end of Pietersen's career with Engalnd and an inquest was held, what would the verdict be? Murder, unlawful homicide or suicide whilst the balance of his mind was affected.

[Kim]

Deceased at the hands of people unknown

(his advisers)

[Arthur Crabtree]

Lynching.

[D/L]

Terminal stupidity.

[OffStumpYorker]

That was all the same thing wasnt it? We know for certain that in a PR war KP- inexplicably - didnt deny it though.

Arthur how are the texts that hes apologised for hearsay now?

I dont know if hes vulnerable or isolated any more than I know that hes the money grabbing team spirit destroyng swine that others portray him as.

I'm describing as hearsay the leaks, because they present such a limited insight into the negotiations between the ECB and KP.

By the way, on this thread I pasted some posts by Mike Selvey from below one of his articles, where he says that the information revealed wasn't a leak, but an off the record briefing given from the ECB to the press. This suggests that the releases were not in exchange for a free dinner by an anonymous ECB employee. Selvey defended these as normal and ethical.

Ok, I must have missed those posts, so I wish people would stop referring to them as Leaks.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Would be interesting if the ECB humbling of KP turned him into a nice guy, Paul Collingwood type, but without his insert KP stereotype here he turned out to be crap.

[SaintPowelly]

Just heard that Celebruty Big Brother starts tonight, I wonder if its too late for KP to apply.

[Alviro Patterson]

Just heard that Celebruty Big Brother starts tonight, I wonder if its too late for KP to apply.

He might be one of those mysterious contestants that turns up halfway through the programme.