The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[m@tt]

http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/jim-holden/565532/Kevin-Pietersen-Alastair-Cook-England-cricket

There are no words...

I've got no real problem with cook in the test team and as captain , how anyone could suggest he has significant leadership qualities is beyond me however , when things start going bad he gets defensive and at times looks lost

I have no doubt that pietersen has often been the victim of his own stupidity and probably isn't an easy guy to deal with but throughout the history of the game we have seen genuinely good leaders find ways to handle maverick talents for the good of the team whereas the ECB chose to exile pietersen to make it easy for cook to surround himself with yes men

anyone can lead a bunch of yes men, just not necessarily in the right direction

The article can be summer up in one sentence.

Cook's such a lovely guy, Pietersen's a big meanie.

Screw results, screw runs, screw merit.

[sussexpob]

http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/jim-holden/565532/Kevin-Pietersen-Alastair-Cook-England-cricket

There are no words...

Probably the worst article I have seen on the matter, but highlighting some points....

“I think you saw the dangers of making such a big decision so close to a tournament,” said Cook of his ruthless dismissal as ODI captain.

Ruthless is one word, another would be timely. He had lost support before last year even began.

“It looked like the lads were shell-shocked from the first two games. That’s when you need real leadership to steer you through. I would have loved the opportunity that was taken from me.

The lads were shell shocked after Brisbane in the last Ashes series, and Cook's leadership overseen a slaughtering of epic proportions for the rest of the series. His leadership after the series was non-existant, and overseen English crickets most embarrassing performance in history.

“The Test team was in a good place (before this). There was a feel-good factor last August. Now a hell of a lot of confidence has gone, and we have a repair job to do.”

Feel good factor about the team? Is this some kind of sick, ignorant joke? Did he not see the empty stands, any message boards with real fans being utterly frustrated, or any of the Sri Lanka series?

They came in a week in which the chairman elect of the ECB, Colin Graves, was thoroughly undermining national selector James Whitaker and England managing director Paul Downton by having direct telephone talks with the outcast Pietersen.

Not sure I understand how someone's boss can undermine his employees, if anything his opinion precedes theirs, and any subordination is in itself "undermining"? Lets be frank, after his bosses boss said "KP can come back", Whitaker said no chance..... who is speaking out of turn here?

Almost in tandem came credible reports that the outgoing current chairman Giles Clarke would refuse to sanction the dismissal of head coach Peter Moores, Whitaker or Downton.

Mates looking after each other and protecting their own decision making..... ignoring the ground swell in fans and further alienating the ECB with the people who pay them their wages. Great tactic for the long term future for cricket in the country.

[sussexpob]

THIS IS THE KNOCK OUT BLOW THOUGH

In nearly 30 years of reporting on the state of English cricket I cannot recall a more troubling time.

Strategic decisions appear to be made on a whim. Nobody has the wit or the authority to take the tough action that is required.

There can be no wonder that Cook felt he had to speak out forcibly. He is a sane voice amid the bedlam.

No one has authority, but the person who does have the authority is criticised two paragraphs above for interfering and undermining his staff.... so taking tough action that is required is to heavy handed, but why isn't it happening? Do we turn left or right, Mr Journalist hack?

English cricket is in a 30 year low, but we need to keep selecting the same failed captain, keep selecting the same failed coach (on his second failure spell) and not sack the selectors or MD who oversee this mess and ignore the man brought in to sort it out?

Has KP being dropped helped the team, or has he been away a year and things got arguably worse?

This is really poor journalism, really really really poor

[budgetmeansbudget]

Let me put a strong point of view.KP was never a great batsman -- he was a very good one but that is all. He struggled with the ball that left him ie; the outswinger and the ball that turned away from him. This was principally because he was a leg side player. There has been great players who favoured the leg side -- Viv Richards being the main one -- but he is not in the Richards class. His only interest in talking about playing for England is because it keeps the money coming in, and he knows he has to keep himself in the news.

He is now a liability in the field, partly because of his dodgy knee to be fair but he has never been more than adequate and I can't see him being anything but a liability in the dressing room.

He is yesterday's man.

Couldn't agree more,very awkward and unbalanced at times as well. I guess you could call it unorthordox, but without his massive ego and incredible levels of confidence I don't think he would have risen much above a good county player.

[sussexpob]

Let me put a strong point of view.KP was never a great batsman -- he was a very good one but that is all. He struggled with the ball that left him ie; the outswinger and the ball that turned away from him. This was principally because he was a leg side player. There has been great players who favoured the leg side -- Viv Richards being the main one -- but he is not in the Richards class. His only interest in talking about playing for England is because it keeps the money coming in, and he knows he has to keep himself in the news.

He is now a liability in the field, partly because of his dodgy knee to be fair but he has never been more than adequate and I can't see him being anything but a liability in the dressing room.

He is yesterday's man.

Couldn't agree more,very awkward and unbalanced at times as well. I guess you could call it unorthordox, but without his massive ego and incredible levels of confidence I don't think he would have risen much above a good county player.

Arguably the best International T20 player to have played the game, and was man of the series in England's only ever limited overs cup win.....

Most probably the best ODI player we ever had....

England's big run scorer in history.... 5th biggest scorer in tests (and averages much more than those names ahead of him, with sufficiently few innings - and without politics, he probably would have beaten all that remained in front of him this year).....

But he wasn't Viv Richards.

[budgetmeansbudget]

I know, its weird, his stats are certainly right up there with the best, but his technique suggests he shouldn't have achieved anywhere near what he has.

I can't say I ever really enjoyed watching him bat. Give me an afternoon of watching the grace and style of Richards and Gower against the awkwardness of Pietersen any day of the week.

[Gingerfinch]

Pietersen was exciting to watch, rather than graceful like a Martyn, Waugh, and Gower. I enjoyed watching him bat, as he went after the bowlers, a little like Viv used to, even if his technique wasn't textbook. An England great, certainly, but we should move on.

[sussexpob]

I know, its weird, his stats are certainly right up there with the best, but his technique suggests he shouldn't have achieved anywhere near what he has. I can't say I ever really enjoyed watching him bat. Give me an afternoon of watching the grace and style of Richards and Gower against the awkwardness of Pietersen any day of the week.

Say from Boycott, have England ever had a batsman that has performed as well? In the 90's we only had Graham Thorpe who even averaged in the 40's, in the 2000's we had players in the low 40's, and some in the 80's too..... But no one who really challenged the 50 mark like KP did for most of his career until form and injury caught up with him in the last year.

I am not sure how negative comments on technique can come into the debate really. Gower was elegant, but he never invented a stroke for the coaching manual like KP did..... quite incredibly, against Wisden's best ranked bowler in cricket history, and in doing so sent him into Row Z, then repeated it a few times. Not sure I ever seen Barry Richards advancing down the track to a 95mph bouncer and swatting it the boundary on the front foot.

Unorthodox, yes, but poor technique, anything but!!! His core strength and balance was brilliant, able to power through the ball even when off balance, which made up for his lack of foot speed.

I mean, if you didn't enjoy KP at his best smashing great attacks around the park, then I am not sure why you watch cricket. Very few batsman were so dominate and dismissively arrogant and audacious when at their best.

[dan08]

Confirmation that KP has been released from his £200k IPL contract to play county cricket: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31949741

[Aidan11]

This reminds me of the song "Soldier, Soldier".

[backfootpunch]

Pietersen was exciting to watch, rather than graceful like a Martyn, Waugh, and Gower. I enjoyed watching him bat, as he went after the bowlers, a little like Viv used to, even if his technique wasn't textbook. An England great, certainly, but we should move on.

definitely an england great

but in terms of all time greats i dont think he is, maybe in his first 50 tests when he scored something like 15/16 hundreds but was horribly inconsistent after the captaincy debacle in 2008

a player of great innings but not a truly great player

im not sure any england player will play a better innings than his 186 vs india on a raging turner in mumbai

[Arthur Crabtree]

I don't think anyone but the odd maverick outlier thinks of Pietersen (or any England bat post Barrington (who was before my time)) as a great bat. He was however prominent among the limited micro world of England batting talent in that time. And left behind some vivid memories. Pietersen not being a great seems to be a bit of a strawman, and sometimes is used as a means of denying his very special qualities. I'm not including bfp in that.

[braveneutral]

Captain Cook gives his opinion on KP:

[Albondiga]

I know, its weird, his stats are certainly right up there with the best, but his technique suggests he shouldn't have achieved anywhere near what he has. I can't say I ever really enjoyed watching him bat. Give me an afternoon of watching the grace and style of Richards and Gower against the awkwardness of Pietersen any day of the week.

Say from Boycott, have England ever had a batsman that has performed as well? In the 90's we only had Graham Thorpe who even averaged in the 40's, in the 2000's we had players in the low 40's, and some in the 80's too..... But no one who really challenged the 50 mark like KP did for most of his career until form and injury caught up with him in the last year.

I am not sure how negative comments on technique can come into the debate really. Gower was elegant, but he never invented a stroke for the coaching manual like KP did..... quite incredibly, against Wisden's best ranked bowler in cricket history, and in doing so sent him into Row Z, then repeated it a few times. Not sure I ever seen Barry Richards advancing down the track to a 95mph bouncer and swatting it the boundary on the front foot.

Unorthodox, yes, but poor technique, anything but!!! His core strength and balance was brilliant, able to power through the ball even when off balance, which made up for his lack of foot speed.

I mean, if you didn't enjoy KP at his best smashing great attacks around the park, then I am not sure why you watch cricket. Very few batsman were so dominate and dismissively arrogant and audacious when at their best.

Poor technique ---- No you say; Fair enough but it wasn't a good one. Batsmen with very good techniques can generally play county SLA journeyman bowlers.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Many batters with good techniques can't walk down the pitch to Dale Steyn and hit him for six over his head. Or deposit Warne and Lee into the stands in an incredibly pressurised situation. And many with good techniques have had worse Test and ODI careers.

I also think some overlook how his personality has lifted England's performances over the years, and his positive approach; until Flower got him to reign back in 2013. He scored a valuable ton at Old Trafford in that year's Ashes, but the innings that really galvanised his team's performance, was when he opened to attempt to chase down Clarke's contrived target at the Oval. That, and Broad's bowling in Durham, were the only times England played with much vigour, and lack of fear, in that series.