The enigma that is Kevin Pietersen

[bigfluffylemon]

What I think is the most depressing thing is what we have seen cricket and cricket supporters becoming over the last 30 hours or so, and it all started with a huge amount of personal abuse I received on the Cricinfo Live County thread for suggesting that maybe runs against Leicestershire weren't necessarily the toughest he'll ever score. Everyone just seems to have been so fundamentally ANGRY, and intense about it too. To the extent where we have grown men, many of whom I thoroughly respect the opinions of, claiming they will be supporting New Zealand and / or Australia as a matter of spite, forgetting that one of the basic levels of being a fan is that you should always want your team to do as best they can. The players and fans who are backing England are totally innocent and deserve better than to see fickle tantrums such as that.

Maybe they weren't the toughest runs he'll ever score, but they highest score apart from KP's was 36. He scored ten times more runs than any other player. So batting can't have been that easy. Second highest score by a certain K Sangakarra, who I think we'll agree knows how to bat a bit.

And it's not a tantrum out of spite, or based on the last 30 hours or so. It's a reaction against the appalling management of the team for the last 18 months. While I will always want the XI English players on the field to do well, I don't want to support an organisation that is run the way the ECB is with any more of my money.

[The Waugh Twins]

As "Making Splinters" said stories should not have been leaked.

I'm a big fan of both Strauss and Pietersen, but this is ridiculous now.

Strauss should have simply shut up and soaked up the pressure from the media over the summer by simply not selecting Pietersen if that's what he had decided on. That would have been the ballsy thing to do and would have shown to me that this bloke can make the tough calls.

The world doesn't need to know he doesn't "trust" Pietersen, or the colour of his underwear. That's a private issue, and also a tad vague as well as a little damaging to Pietersens reputation. Not saying you can damage his reputation, but for someone in Strauss's current position you don't say it. It's childish and for self gain. Why say anything at all unless you simply are taking the opportunity to bite back after all these years.

As an Aussie I have mixed feelings that "The Pie" will not be in the English squad. On one hand I'm glad because he can be a match winner, but on the other hand I'm saddened somewhat because he makes the game so much more fun to watch.

Strauss, well I don't know if I can trust him after this.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good post WaughTwins.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Although Steve might come out with something contradictory in a minute.

[GarlicJam]

As badly as this looks to be have handled by everyone connected to the ECB, it's amazing how disliked by the people that matter for his Test career KP appears to be.

I've never much taken to him either, but in spite of him being a class player, he's managed to find a way of being so on the nose that England-Wales pre-emptively exclude him from the summer of cricket? Stunning performance.

Much more impressive than scoring 300+ in a county match.

[greyblazer]

Even if someone supports the England team, for ECB the results don't seem to matter for the next two years. So what is the point?

[Making_Splinters]

Indeed, Grey. It is staggering that a member of management can be given an assurance that there will be zero accountability in his role for two years. Harrison said just before England sacked Downton that there needed to be more accountability for results in the ECB, just shows how far gone the ECB are, they openly lie to the public and then have the audacity to not select a player due to trust issues. How can any organisation be so brass necked.

English cricket is going down the toilet.

[greyblazer]

When Lehmann took over a dispirited Australian set-up in 2013, you could see from the way he talked, that he would lift the side to greater heights. Even though they lost 3-0, it was clear that they were going to be a force to reckon with at home. Of course, they hammered England 5-0.

In this case I feel the attitude is very defeatist. You don't rebuild sides with a defeatist attitude. Just couldn't believe when a few supported this view of the ECB on other social platforms and attacked KP by saying he shouldn't have talked about it. Crazy!

[budgetmeansbudget]

The only way is up.

Does anyone know the result of the Poll they were carrying out on TalkSport last night on who has the greater ego Christiano Ronaldo or Kevin Pietersen?

[budgetmeansbudget]

Its funny how everyone is up in arms about Strauss yesterday bringing up trust issues as being the problem between him and Pietersen and saying he should be keeping it personal, however it is fine for Pietersen to air every miniscule detail of his dirty laundry in public because he is the poor hard done by tortured soul. Double standards, again.

[budgetmeansbudget]

The only way is up.

Does anyone know the result of the Poll they were carrying out on TalkSport last night on who has the greater ego Christiano Ronaldo or Kevin Pietersen?

I've just put my vote in and its currently 59% to 41%.

[mikesiva]

KP heads for the IPL, which is where he should've been all this time:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/ ... 74423.html

This England-thing was always going to be a non-starter....

[hopeforthebest]

I remember when a player pounding out runs against a weak opponent on a 'ROAD of a pitch was called a 'Flat Track Bully', apparently that doesn't apply to this innings from Kevin Pietersen.

[budgetmeansbudget]

At least this decision by Strauss hasn't cost Pietersen too much, he can now bugger off back to his lucrative IPL contract in India. Strauss could have left him dangling and said, one good innings doesn't make a summer Kevin, keep going and we'll consider you again later in the summer, and then not picked him then out of spite. But Strauss is clearly a man of integrity and laid it on the line to him as honestly and directly as he could yesterday, and as a result gave him the opportunity to go back to India at the earliest opportunity.

[dan08]

I remember when a player pounding out runs against a weak opponent on a 'ROAD of a pitch was called a 'Flat Track Bully', apparently that doesn't apply to this innings from Kevin Pietersen.

A score of 355* will always be regarded as an incredible innings no matter how flat the pitch is. No Englishman has passed 350 in over 25 years.