The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[D/L]

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.

But only appears in the ones he wants to because of a lucrative Bollywood contract.

[OffStumpYorker]

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.

But only appears in the ones he wants to because of a lucrative Bollywood contract.

More like because hes got offers to appear in other BB houses around the world as the UK one finishes.

[hopeforthebest]

After reading the text of Andrew strauss's statement I'm prepared to bet that KP will not be named in the T20 squad on Saturday.

[Making_Splinters]

It should be made mandatory that Strauss is involved in all discussions within English cricket from now on, he the first person from any of the various groups involved in this mess whos actually stood up and made sense. In two perfectly weighted statements in the press he's essentially laid bare where all the mistake have been made by all parties. First;y he in no way sought to isolate KP, secondly he pointed out that this is not KP versus the world but a matter of mutual respect between all parties and finally he's pointed out that the entire issue should have been behind closed doors directly between the relevant parties with out any middle men.

Thank you Strauss for restoring my faith in the English game, a shame you felt it was not you're place to be involved from the start.

[ChrisQ]

An advantage? The only leak I know of is the one about KP not in fact wanting rest but wanting to play IPL instead of tests.

This leak was to counteract KPs retirement statement where he said it was all about wanting rest. It wasnt about seeking advantage but about (albeit sneakily) letting the world know the true situation. If KP hasnt been so economical with the truth it wouldnt have happened.

Obv if there have been other leaks, above might be BS.

Not that two wrongs make a right - but how did the press know about Kps unhapiness aboy the parody account?

IMO its been a PR war on both sides (EG Kps video ) and its an unfortanate fact of life that leaking is part of it. Think theres a danger of beating the ECB over the head over an unpleasant tactic while totalling ignoring just how badly KP has apparently behaved.

There was that leak, and then one about him wanting to miss the NZ series, and play all formats except during the IPL. We don't know for certain if this is true. It may have been an extreme bargaining position in order that he might secure a slightly less advantageous outcome. I can't remember all the press, there may be more. But this fragment that found its way into the press can't ever be properly evaluated. yet this has been the core of the antipathy that has built up around Pietersen.

If you leave out hearsay, I can't see that Pietersen has acted badly at all. Just the futile and guarded protests of a vulnerable and isolated person, who wants to keep on playing cricket, with reasonable accommodations, but doesn't know who to trust.

Well didn't KP note in his video that:

"Absolutely not [to the question of his insisting on playing the full IPL season]. I have taken that all back. I've had a very, very constructive conversation with the IPL owner of the franchise in India who has supported me; and the marvelous franchise that I am affiliated to, the Delhi Daredevils, have been magnificient on this. And I won't be playing the full IPL. I will come back and play in the Tests against New Zealand next year. So the IPL is definitely not an elephant in the room anymore."


and nearer to the beginning of this whole mess (before the text message fiasco) wasn't it KP himself who said "I can't give any assurances that the next Test [the third Test against South Africa] won't be my last. I'd like to carry on but there are obstacles that need to be worked out"?


Because in doing so he confirmed the off the record (hereafter "otr" or "OTR") briefing (as described by Mike Selvey) which stated that KP was not retiring from ODI cricket due to the need to rest but out of the desire to play the full IPL season.

His remarks at the end of the second Test are also puzzling given the about-face he has now done; first he "couldn't give assurances" that the third Test "would not be his last" and that he would "like to carry on but there were obstacles that need to be worked out"...yet now not only is he willing to carry on but wants to come out of ODI (and T20) retirement. So what happened between those "obstacles that need to be worked out" remarks and his video interview? Were these "obstacles" removed? Because the only thing that I know to have happened was the text message saga and the very real prospects (at the time, but now not just prospects but reality) that KP would simply be dropped from the England line-up. It would seem that according to KP's initial statements after the second Test, the selectors ended up doing the only sensible thing and simply gave KP full opportunity to go his own way. After all if he was contemplating retiring from test cricket at the end of this series, what difference would it make if they retired him one test match earlier?

Given that the next set of tests England has to play are against India (November to December), New Zealand (basically all of March in New Zealand) and then New Zealand again (basically all of May in England) it is quite reasonable to assume that KP would have contemplated missing all of these test series (and more) if he said he couldn't give assurances that the third Test against South Africa wouldn't be his last.

Throughout this sorry saga, KP has again and again managed to disprove spirited attempts to give him the benefit of the doubt:

- he didn't deny the existence of the text messages when he could have easily done so had they been phantom messages. Instead he later apologized for them, thereby admitting without the shadow of a doubt that they were real.

- he didn't deny that they were unflattering (or provocative or derogatory or however you want to term them) when he could also have easily done so had they been innocent messages

- in the video interview he could have very simply stated "I never insisted on playing the full IPL season and still do not. And I never wanted to miss the tests against New Zealand next year or any other upcoming tests series." That would have straight out denied all the speculation in the media. Instead he basically confirmed the speculation about his past intentions.

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if some folks aren't starting to wonder if they actually can trust the tabloid press with the truth for once when it comes to all matters relating to KP.

[hopeforthebest]

I read a piece somewhere about how Pietersen loves returning to Durban and his home town Pietermaritzburg because rhey are so embacing and relaxingly different from big cities. Then why on earth is he living in Chelsea among the jet set.

[meninblue]

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.

Yes, i felt the same recently. However, that will also mean that Morgan, Broad, Dimi, Luke etc will be applied same contract. So i doubt it's KP Vs ECB. It is more like ECB wanting the presence of KP, Broad, Morgan, Dimi, Luke etc to play more for England than for IPL, BigBash, SLPL, BPL etc.

[ChrisQ]

By the way, does anyone know where Paul Newman got this from?

It was Sportsmail's Lawrence Booth who put a great big lion among the England pigeons on Friday when he revealed that Pietersen had sent texts to South Africa's Dale Steyn and AB De Villiers during the second Test that were critical of Strauss and had even encouraged Steyn in his efforts to dismiss the England captain. It was an explosive development.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricke ... z23d8VMwX3

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricke ... -over.html

Because I read the link provided in that paragraph and what seems to be the original story by Lawrence Booth but I see nothing about the texts supposedly encouraging Steyn to dismiss Strauss.

Given that Pietersen has admitted that the texts existed because he apologized for them (as opposed to claiming they didn't exist and challenging Lawrence Booth, Paul Newman, the South African team management and the ECB to provide proof that they existed) and the way he has basically confirmed media speculation in the past, what would it mean if he really did encourage Steyn to dismiss Strauss? And if he encouraged Steyn by giving tips wouldn't that amount to match-fixing?

EDIT: And Geoff Boycott says pretty much the same thing:

Then we had the last straw. Texting comments to the opposition about the captain was unforgivable. Telling them how to bowl and get him out is simply not acceptable and deserves a public apology.

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

[shankycricket]

Thats British media for you!

[D/L]

EDIT: And Geoff Boycott says pretty much the same thing:

Then we had the last straw. Texting comments to the opposition about the captain was unforgivable. Telling them how to bowl and get him out is simply not acceptable and deserves a public apology.

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

It’s not often Geoffrey’s wrong, but he’s right again.

[meninblue]

Amidst all this mess, i appreciate Strauss and Andy. I don't think they have retaliated to KP even though he has confirmed that he sent derogatory SMS about Strauss. Strauss appears to be such calm, cool and composed person. So does Andy. No fuss even though Strauss was unnecessarily dragged in this mess by KP. I remember Amir Sohail commentating something about Afridi and the next day Afridi literally took Amir to the cleaners with his statements.

[D/L]

I remember Amir Sohail commentating something about Afridi and the next day Afridi literally took Amir to the cleaners with his statements.

(My underlining) What a strange thing to do!

[ChrisQ]

EDIT: And Geoff Boycott says pretty much the same thing:

Then we had the last straw. Texting comments to the opposition about the captain was unforgivable. Telling them how to bowl and get him out is simply not acceptable and deserves a public apology.

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

It’s not often Geoffrey’s wrong, but he’s right again.

Dunno...if that is what was really in the text messages it deserves an outright ban, not an apology.

[meninblue]

I remember Amir Sohail commentating something about Afridi and the next day Afridi literally took Amir to the cleaners with his statements.

(My underlining) What a strange thing to do!

[Arthur Crabtree]

There was that leak, and then one about him wanting to miss the NZ series, and play all formats except during the IPL. We don't know for certain if this is true. It may have been an extreme bargaining position in order that he might secure a slightly less advantageous outcome. I can't remember all the press, there may be more. But this fragment that found its way into the press can't ever be properly evaluated. yet this has been the core of the antipathy that has built up around Pietersen.




"Absolutely not [to the question of his insisting on playing the full IPL season]. I have taken that all back. I've had a very, very constructive conversation with the IPL owner of the franchise in India who has supported me; and the marvelous franchise that I am affiliated to, the Delhi Daredevils, have been magnificient on this. And I won't be playing the full IPL. I will come back and play in the Tests against New Zealand next year. So the IPL is definitely not an elephant in the room anymore."

That seems to prove the point.

I said earlier that Kevin hadn't acted regrettably. I should amend that a bit, so allow that some of actions haven't been what you would like, but these have mostly been motivated under a particular pressure. Such as, when isolated within the England dressing room, turning to SA friends for a release of pressure. You can't say that is a good thing for a team member to do. But it is an understandable thing for a human being to do. And as Vic Marks said in the link I posted earlier, absolutely unremarkable.

Viewed out of context, there are incidents you'd prefer KP not to have got involved in. But they didn't happen out of context.