The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[Arthur Crabtree]

But that takes us back to the beginning again!

Ah well.

[Kim]

i dont know what else the ecb could have done given the circumstances?

Rest him from some of his summer's ODIs. A not unreasonable request from which all this has snowballed.

Thats factually wrong arthur. They were going to give him a rest - but he wanted to retire from all ODIs. He never at any stage asked for a rest from a few games. Hed been trying to retire from ODis for ages.

[Kim]

So far the England first 4 wickets have scored a third of what KP did in the last tests first innings... we dont need him though.

I thought his replacemnt - Bairstow - did very well.

[D/L]

So far the England first 4 wickets have scored a third of what KP did in the last tests first innings... we dont need him though.

I thought his replacemnt - Bairstow - did very well.

Very well indeed and with great attention to the needs of the team.

[Making_Splinters]

Bairstow has played a single good innings out his four tests, let's not be silly and compare a player with an average of just shy of 50 after over 150 innings to him, though I suppose the pointless comparisons between the team performance at Headingly and Lord's were inevitable.

One thing to say, at Headingly the team performance with the bat was poor and the same is true thus far at Lord's.

[Arthur Crabtree]

i dont know what else the ecb could have done given the circumstances?

Rest him from some of his summer's ODIs. A not unreasonable request from which all this has snowballed.

Thats factually wrong arthur. They were going to give him a rest - but he wanted to retire from all ODIs. He never at any stage asked for a rest from a few games. Hed been trying to retire from ODis for ages.

Pietersen said he wanted to miss some of the 50 over matches, but found this difficult to negotiate, and thought the only way out of a home summer with 16 ODIs was to stop playing completely. That was his point of view, voiced later on. Maybe the ECB might have seen it differently.

[Kim]

Have ro agree to differ cos I have never seen that said anywhere.

Oh well. No matter.

[Arthur Crabtree]

He said that in a later interview, not when he first retired from ODIs. But fair enough. Let it lie.

[Kim]

Odd thing is that hed have automatically qualified for more rest in September under his central contract cos hed have done 8 years-

[Arthur Crabtree]

If a less arduous programme for players who've been playing for a long time is written in to the programme, then that's a really good thing. I didn't realise. That's one of the things I was hoping would be introduced. Given how much cricket Kevin has played, it seems tough that he's still a year off... But it is good that it is there.

[yorker_129-7]

Comparisons to KP are ridiculous for Bairstow. Maybe KP would have smashed an innings like last week and finished 130* tonight, or maybe he'd have hooked Dale Steyn straight down deep backward square legs throat third ball for nought. Who knows.

[D/L]

Who's comparing Bairstow to Pietersen?

All that's been said is how well Bairstow batted today and how well he played for the team, given the situation he found himself in.

[Making_Splinters]

Who's comparing Bairstow to Pietersen?

All that's been said is how well Bairstow batted today and how well he played for the team, given the situation he found himself in.

Played well for the team?

[hopeforthebest]

I bet Bairstow isn't texting SA players tonight.

[backfootpunch]

i remember hearing/reading that the ecb were going to rest kp for the windies odis, but never thought to tell him. to some extentpietersen has been the architect of his own downfall but the ecb have not helped the situation in anyway