Kevin Pietersen

[The Legend that IS Lawro]

Nothing to do with his nationality in my eyes, he was a disruptive influence allegedly and so for the long term future of English cricket (which is not at it's majestic best right now) then this must be the most sensible policy in my opinion.

 

[Working class pride]

Too much nonsense talked about "cant be trusted". Cricket is an individual sport played in a team format. Bat v Ball and a captain sets strategy / bowling changes. These blokes are in their 20's and 30's. They need to get over themselves and get out there and pick the best players to take wickets and score runs. Trust? Trust in what? Irrelevant rubbish that follows the classic line by Matt Prior blaming the debacle of the last Ashes tour on not turning up to team meetings on time or without a tie. Its all rubbish. Cricket is a skilful sport, some have it, some don't. They understood that in the 1930's hence Bradman played, they understood that in the 70s / 80s hence Boycott played. But now its all about being a "team player". Nonsense. Cricket is an individual sport played in a team format. Bat v ball. The selectors know this and they have decided to ignore it.

 

[El Presidente]

He's not English & should never have been allowed to pick up the stick

Just as well he was sacked by true blue Englishman Andrew Strauss, who was born in................................................Johannesburg.

 

[Westdene Wonder]

Nothing to do with his nationality in my eyes, he was a disruptive influence allegedly and so for the long term future of English cricket (which is not at it's majestic best right now) then this must be the most sensible policy in my opinion.

Could not agree more,on his day a fantastic player but he plays for himself,i am sure there would have been further problems with coach,capt and/or selectors if he had been allowed back.
One innings whether he scored 300 or went for a duck is not enough if he was to be judged purely on his performance

 

[El Presidente]

Too much nonsense talked about "cant be trusted". Cricket is an individual sport played in a team format. Bat v Ball and a captain sets strategy / bowling changes. These blokes are in their 20's and 30's. They need to get over themselves and get out there and pick the best players to take wickets and score runs. Trust? Trust in what? Irrelevant rubbish that follows the classic line by Matt Prior blaming the debacle of the last Ashes tour on not turning up to team meetings on time or without a tie. Its all rubbish. Cricket is a skilful sport, some have it, some don't. They understood that in the 1930's hence Bradman played, they understood that in the 70s / 80s hence Boycott played. But now its all about being a "team player". Nonsense. Cricket is an individual sport played in a team format. Bat v ball. The selectors know this and they have decided to ignore it.

As ALWAYS, WCP and I are in total agreement.

KP is a prize plum, but he is also England's record run scorer, and when he comes to the wicket, as a cricket FAN, I watch.

Because Strauss cannot ‘trust’ Kevin Pietersen, and ‘trust’ is apparently the most important aspect of international sports teams, the leading run scorer in English cricket history cannot play in this summer’s Ashes.

My initial reaction to the news is one of sadness. I’m not someone who thinks Pietersen should walk back into the England team – and I’ve criticised KP as much as anyone during his career – but it seems that, once again, England have allowed over-analysis and rigid dogma to obscure the obvious point: that selection should be based purely on merit and the ability to win matches.

Most of us knew what we were getting with Andrew Strauss: a very methodical man who sees things in black and white. It’s a mentality better suited to running an accountancy firm that an international sports team.

What Strauss fails to realise it that ‘trust’ is secondary or tertiary, not primary. Winning is the most important thing. And your chances of winning games depends more on the talent of your individuals than how much these individuals like each other.

I’m sure the current England players all trust each other implicitly. I’m sure they trusted Peter Moores too. It didn’t stop them from failing miserably at the World Cup or losing to the West Indies last week.

Did the ACB trust Shane Warne not to say outrageous things and get into trouble? Warne ridiculed the coach, took money from bookmakers for information, send lewd text messages to women … but most importantly of all he won cricket matches. Only in England could this tiny, but crucial, detail be missed.

Andrew Strauss’ interview also revealed that he’s fallen into the same trap as his predecessor: the failure to realise that the England cricket team belongs to the fans not the ECB:

“Over the years the trust between Kevin and the ECB has eroded” and therefore “it is not in the best short-term interests of the team” to recall him.

Strauss is painfully wrong. The ECB is separate to the team. The relationship between administrators and individual players is more or less irrelevant to the team’s chances of winning the Ashes. The England cricket team is not the personal fiefdom of the blazers.

Strauss’s referral to ‘short-term’ interests was also fascinating. He deliberately eschewed the argument that England are building for the long-term. Of course, such an argument would be fatuous in an Ashes year.

Were Australia worrying about the future when they picked Adam Voges (who is one year older than KP) and Chris Rogers (who is three years older) for the upcoming series? Do they care that Brad Haddin will be 38 in five months time? Of course not. If you’re good enough, you should be in the team.

However, because Strauss is clever enough to know this, a different reason had to be given – and this is why the Director pulled a Robert DeNiro: if you’re not in the ‘circle of trust’ you’re nobody and nowhere.

Of course, the trust argument is a smokescreen. One suspects Pietersen is not being picked because, in Strauss’s experience, he became too difficult for him personally to work with. We ‘don’t trust you’ effectively means ‘we don’t like you’.

Strauss does not care that he worked fine with Pietersen for several years, and the relationship only soured towards the end – within the context of the KP Genius affair.

Strauss does not care that Tremlett, Carberry, Panesar, Stokes, Root, Bairstow and (initially) Swann all said KP’s behaviour in Australia was exemplary.

Strauss does not care that Alec Stewart and the Surrey players all ‘love him’ (the words used by former England keeper Steve Davies on Twitter yesterday).

Strauss does not care that Simon Jones, Alex Tudor, Michael Vaughan, Shaun Udal and Andrew Flintoff (to name just a few) all think Pietersen should be recalled. The opinions of the last two are particularly significant as fans have been told many times that Pietersen was unbearable at Hampshire and that Fred hated him.

The truth is that Strauss is only seeing the Pietersen that betrayed his nebulous concept of ‘team’ back in 2012. He is also judging Pietersen on his overly emotional book – clearly ill advised, but clearly not disengaged.

According to Strauss, what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room – unless you’re writing about Peter Moores in your own autobiography, or spilling the beans to fellow commentators when you think you’re off air.

By taking this stance on KP, Strauss has revealed why he was a poor choice as director. He is still very close to the dressing room: to the same captain and former coach who share his peculiar weltanschauung (a worldview many disagree with).

However, although Strauss (and his own prejudices) are central to all this, one cannot overstate the importance of Cook.

It’s as clear as day that Cook doesn’t want Pietersen anywhere near the side. Pietersen, who was dangerously close to some younger players, was kicked out of the side for good when he had the temerity to criticise Cook’s leadership before the Sydney test.

We’ve seen many times over the last year how the skipper responds to criticism:

Cook wanted something done when Shane Warne offered the opinions he’s paid to give.

Cook had an unsightly tantrum when the selectors dropped him from the ODI team and revealed a worrying lack of self-awareness.

And most recently, rumours have circulated that Cook confronted Jonathan Agnew for being too chummy with Pietersen in the commentary box during the World Cup.

Perhaps Alastair was so angry because they betrayed his ‘trust’?

One suspects, therefore, that Cook would rather place his manhood in a blender than see the man that called him ‘Ned Flanders’ back in the side. As a result, Strauss’s views and the skipper’s conveniently aligned.

No doubt people will leap to Cook’s defence, and claim this is purely Strauss’s decision, but this argument doesn’t add up.

If someone like Michael Vaughan was captain – somebody who has a decent working relationship with Pietersen – the situation would be entirely different. There would be no (or very few) obstacles standing in KP’s way. The only dissenting voice would be Andy Flower.

My personal feeling, therefore, is that the reason for Pietersen’s continued absence is two fold:

(a) For all the changes at the ECB, men who have a personal dislike of KP are still running the show. These men are letting personal animosity get in the way of cricketing logic.

(b) Given that Cook and Pietersen now seem incompatible, English cricket has once again sided with the younger man (who conveniently fits the image the ECB wishes to project). This is understandable, but it won’t make the team any more watchable. It won’t help against the Australians either – KP has a far better Ashes record than Cook.

The inescapable reality is that KP’s absence continues to bolster Cook – a captain who isn’t strong enough (in Paul Downton’s words) to cope with dissent within the dressing room. This leads me to surmise the following …

Once again, the major decisions in English cricket revolve around Cook. Whether one calls this mollycoddling or not is open to personal interpretation – however, the strength of the squad is certainly being compromised because of individual prejudices.

This is what makes so many fans angry: it’s seems that entertainment, and value for money, are secondary to the personal feelings of men who have polarised fans almost as much as Pietersen himself.

Trust? It has, and always will be, a two way street. Would you trust teammates who created a parody Twitter account mocking you?

And how many people out there ‘trust’ the ECB? When you consider the way they treated Peter Moores, it will be very difficult for any prospective coach to trust them.

The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven.

 

[Working class pride]

As ALWAYS, WCP and I are in total agreement.

KP is a prize plum, but he is also England's record run scorer, and when he comes to the wicket, as a cricket FAN, I watch.

Because Strauss cannot ‘trust’ Kevin Pietersen, and ‘trust’ is apparently the most important aspect of international sports teams, the leading run scorer in English cricket history cannot play in this summer’s Ashes.

My initial reaction to the news is one of sadness. I’m not someone who thinks Pietersen should walk back into the England team – and I’ve criticised KP as much as anyone during his career – but it seems that, once again, England have allowed over-analysis and rigid dogma to obscure the obvious point: that selection should be based purely on merit and the ability to win matches.

Most of us knew what we were getting with Andrew Strauss: a very methodical man who sees things in black and white. It’s a mentality better suited to running an accountancy firm that an international sports team.

What Strauss fails to realise it that ‘trust’ is secondary or tertiary, not primary. Winning is the most important thing. And your chances of winning games depends more on the talent of your individuals than how much these individuals like each other.

I’m sure the current England players all trust each other implicitly. I’m sure they trusted Peter Moores too. It didn’t stop them from failing miserably at the World Cup or losing to the West Indies last week.

Did the ACB trust Shane Warne not to say outrageous things and get into trouble? Warne ridiculed the coach, took money from bookmakers for information, send lewd text messages to women … but most importantly of all he won cricket matches. Only in England could this tiny, but crucial, detail be missed.

Andrew Strauss’ interview also revealed that he’s fallen into the same trap as his predecessor: the failure to realise that the England cricket team belongs to the fans not the ECB:

“Over the years the trust between Kevin and the ECB has eroded” and therefore “it is not in the best short-term interests of the team” to recall him.

Strauss is painfully wrong. The ECB is separate to the team. The relationship between administrators and individual players is more or less irrelevant to the team’s chances of winning the Ashes. The England cricket team is not the personal fiefdom of the blazers.

Strauss’s referral to ‘short-term’ interests was also fascinating. He deliberately eschewed the argument that England are building for the long-term. Of course, such an argument would be fatuous in an Ashes year.

Were Australia worrying about the future when they picked Adam Voges (who is one year older than KP) and Chris Rogers (who is three years older) for the upcoming series? Do they care that Brad Haddin will be 38 in five months time? Of course not. If you’re good enough, you should be in the team.

However, because Strauss is clever enough to know this, a different reason had to be given – and this is why the Director pulled a Robert DeNiro: if you’re not in the ‘circle of trust’ you’re nobody and nowhere.

Of course, the trust argument is a smokescreen. One suspects Pietersen is not being picked because, in Strauss’s experience, he became too difficult for him personally to work with. We ‘don’t trust you’ effectively means ‘we don’t like you’.

Strauss does not care that he worked fine with Pietersen for several years, and the relationship only soured towards the end – within the context of the KP Genius affair.

Strauss does not care that Tremlett, Carberry, Panesar, Stokes, Root, Bairstow and (initially) Swann all said KP’s behaviour in Australia was exemplary.

Strauss does not care that Alec Stewart and the Surrey players all ‘love him’ (the words used by former England keeper Steve Davies on Twitter yesterday).

Strauss does not care that Simon Jones, Alex Tudor, Michael Vaughan, Shaun Udal and Andrew Flintoff (to name just a few) all think Pietersen should be recalled. The opinions of the last two are particularly significant as fans have been told many times that Pietersen was unbearable at Hampshire and that Fred hated him.

The truth is that Strauss is only seeing the Pietersen that betrayed his nebulous concept of ‘team’ back in 2012. He is also judging Pietersen on his overly emotional book – clearly ill advised, but clearly not disengaged.

According to Strauss, what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room – unless you’re writing about Peter Moores in your own autobiography, or spilling the beans to fellow commentators when you think you’re off air.

By taking this stance on KP, Strauss has revealed why he was a poor choice as director. He is still very close to the dressing room: to the same captain and former coach who share his peculiar weltanschauung (a worldview many disagree with).

However, although Strauss (and his own prejudices) are central to all this, one cannot overstate the importance of Cook.

It’s as clear as day that Cook doesn’t want Pietersen anywhere near the side. Pietersen, who was dangerously close to some younger players, was kicked out of the side for good when he had the temerity to criticise Cook’s leadership before the Sydney test.

We’ve seen many times over the last year how the skipper responds to criticism:

Cook wanted something done when Shane Warne offered the opinions he’s paid to give.

Cook had an unsightly tantrum when the selectors dropped him from the ODI team and revealed a worrying lack of self-awareness.

And most recently, rumours have circulated that Cook confronted Jonathan Agnew for being too chummy with Pietersen in the commentary box during the World Cup.

Perhaps Alastair was so angry because they betrayed his ‘trust’?

One suspects, therefore, that Cook would rather place his manhood in a blender than see the man that called him ‘Ned Flanders’ back in the side. As a result, Strauss’s views and the skipper’s conveniently aligned.

No doubt people will leap to Cook’s defence, and claim this is purely Strauss’s decision, but this argument doesn’t add up.

If someone like Michael Vaughan was captain – somebody who has a decent working relationship with Pietersen – the situation would be entirely different. There would be no (or very few) obstacles standing in KP’s way. The only dissenting voice would be Andy Flower.

My personal feeling, therefore, is that the reason for Pietersen’s continued absence is two fold:

(a) For all the changes at the ECB, men who have a personal dislike of KP are still running the show. These men are letting personal animosity get in the way of cricketing logic.

(b) Given that Cook and Pietersen now seem incompatible, English cricket has once again sided with the younger man (who conveniently fits the image the ECB wishes to project). This is understandable, but it won’t make the team any more watchable. It won’t help against the Australians either – KP has a far better Ashes record than Cook.

The inescapable reality is that KP’s absence continues to bolster Cook – a captain who isn’t strong enough (in Paul Downton’s words) to cope with dissent within the dressing room. This leads me to surmise the following …

Once again, the major decisions in English cricket revolve around Cook. Whether one calls this mollycoddling or not is open to personal interpretation – however, the strength of the squad is certainly being compromised because of individual prejudices.

This is what makes so many fans angry: it’s seems that entertainment, and value for money, are secondary to the personal feelings of men who have polarised fans almost as much as Pietersen himself.

Trust? It has, and always will be, a two way street. Would you trust teammates who created a parody Twitter account mocking you?

And how many people out there ‘trust’ the ECB? When you consider the way they treated Peter Moores, it will be very difficult for any prospective coach to trust them.

The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven.

Blimey El P yours is an even longer post than mine to say that they are making it all very difficult. Just pick the best players eh.

 

[Bold Seagull]

...
The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven.

Wowzers, I couldn't agree with this more. It's as if AI has been invented and transcribed and somehow eloquently put everything I'm thinking about this situation right now. Can only see this getting worse before it gets better.

 

[Working class pride]

One other thing to add is to ask how old are all of these people? All that is important is whether FIGJAM / KP is more or less likely to score runs than someone else.In my view he is likely to score more runs than anyone in the middle order and his spin bowling is as good as our all rounder number 6 and spinner. Therefore they should pick him. It's as simple as that.

 

[dangull]

Totally agree with all that.

It must have taken a lot of time and effort to make that post.

Unfortunately, I doubt the people that matter will read this post, being on a BHA football site.

 

[Seasider78]

KP response in telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cr...evin-Pietersen-My-fury-at-England-deceit.html

Kevin Pietersen: My fury at England deceit

I am absolutely devastated that it looks like my hopes of an England recall have been brought to a close, especially given everything that has been said and asked of me.

I had a meeting with Andrew Strauss and Tom Harrison at a hotel in London on Monday night. I expressed my fear to Tom last week when he asked for the meeting that I did not want to sit in a room and be told that I was not going to be picked for England again.

I have been down that route before and I knew I would be in the middle of a game for Surrey which would need my whole focus and concentration.

• Pietersen axed by England: as it happened

Tom said: “No, no, no you have had one of England’s greatest careers and we need to work together." So, of course, I agreed to the meeting.

Advertisement


Andrew Strauss and Tom Harrison are both in Kevin Pietersen's firing line

I have never hidden my determination to once again represent England and having played one of the best innings of my career earlier in the day, I must admit I was riding the crest of a wave.

Yet it now looks clear Tom knew exactly what Strauss was going to tell me. I messaged Tom after the meeting and asked him why he got me into a hotel knowing precisely what I was going to be told and having already explicitly asked him if that was going to be the case. “You talk about trust,” I said. He simply replied: “I am sorry you feel that way, Kevin.”

They have used the word trust to justify not selecting me, well, trust is a two-way thing. I couldn’t believe just half an hour after I had my meeting, the result of it was on the internet and on the BBC airwaves. Now I certainly didn’t tell anybody, so who did? They say they don’t trust me but how can anybody trust them?

• Tom Harrison - the ECB hatchet man

I went into the meeting expecting Strauss to say that England’s batting order is good at the moment but if I continued to score runs and if an injury occurred then I would be in contention to play. I would naturally have to earn my recall, but at least I would be eligible. But no. Quite simply, I feel deeply misled. Tom has tried to say that Colin Graves was misrepresented by the media when he said there was a way back for me.

I'm afraid, as everyone can clearly see, this is the biggest load of rubbish. I had two phone conversations with Colin Graves and he was crystal clear in saying I had to get a county, score runs and that there was a clean slate. He said that when he comes in as chairman he wants the best players playing for England. He told me that on the phone in two separate conversations. He also repeated it to national newspapers.

• Farewell to Giles Clarke - who left the ECB richer but cricket poorer

I have done everything I can. Was I lied to by the chairman? Only he can answer that. Tom Harrison and Andrew Strauss have said today that all three of them are united in this decision, so I don’t know what to think.

What has happened since Colin told me if I scored county runs I would be available for selection?

Nobody has called me. I have given up my IPL contract, at great expense, to play in county cricket. Surrey did not have any funds free to pay me so I said I would play for nothing, just a donation to charity, and it is horrendous to feel I have been led down the garden path. They knew all along this was a dead end for me.


Peter Moores has already paid the price for England's bad form

I am angry and hurt but right now there is nothing I can do about it. Strauss will be judged on his results. Yet I have heard from two very good sources that results do not matter this summer anyway. The job description for the director of cricket job is focused on longer-term goals.

But if Strauss has been told he does not have to win this summer then why should the players train and work hard? In essence, quite incredibly, they have all been given permission to lose the Ashes. I have never heard that before. It is not in my make-up and I know it is not in the make-up of the English public either. Especially for those who have paid a lot of money for tickets.

• Andrew Strauss must learn from Australia

It is an absolute disgrace if that is their mindset. Is this the reason Strauss got that job, because he would accept those conditions? Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart certainly would not.

It is true that after telling me I did not have a future for England, Strauss offered me the chance to sit on his advisory panel. But I told him to forget it. How can he in one sentence say we cannot trust you and then in the next try and say we want you to be on a board because you have such a wonderful cricket brain?

At that point I asked: “Who doesn’t trust me? You have a new chairman, a new CEO, we have spent the last 10 minutes sorting out our differences like adults. Let’s go through the batting order.”

I rattled off names. He could not give me any names. He said it is a broader thing and not just the players.


Alastair Cook might not be in charge of England much longer

I accepted that Alastair Cook and I need to sort a few things out. But I thought we could manage that and Strauss is in a position to facilitate it happening. It is his job to ensure Alastair and I could do that.

I asked him if he thought that a new coach not being able to pick perhaps his best team was the right thing to do for the fans. Especially in an Ashes summer against a tough Australian team, who we’ll have to be at the top of our game to beat. He started throwing statistics around.

I said: “Please do not sit in a meeting with me, telling me I can’t play for England and start lobbing stats at me to justify it.”


Kevin Pietersen in action during his 355 not out for Surrey

I just find it incredibly deceitful what has happened to me and am frankly finding it difficult to understand right now. I have done everything I have been asked. I keep asking myself, what more could I do?

Under the agreement of releasing me from my IPL contract, Sunrisers Hyderabad have the right to recall me for the final stages of the tournament, so on Friday – at their request – I’ll be travelling out to India. It’ll give me a good opportunity to cool down and assess what I'm going to do next. I'm just sorry it won’t be putting on an England shirt.

 

[GT49er]

Strauss, Prior, Geraint Jones, Lumb, Kieswetter, Morgan, Lamb, Chris and Robin Smith, Hick, Derek Pringle, Dermot Reeve, Chris Lewis, Phil Defreitas, Gladstone Small....to name a few!

Exactly, plus Colin Cowdrey and Ted Dexter, born abroad, Scot Mike Denness, Irishman Morgan, Welshman Tony Lewis, plus South Africans Lamb and Trott. Now that Trott has gone, the ABE selectors must be tearing their hair out to find another South African! Or any ABE for that matter!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I'd rather have KP in the team than Cook.

 

[essbee]

My other half is Scottish and knows nothing about cricket.

She said "why can't they all just act like adults and put the past behind them - they're
acting like children".

I couldn't agree more.....ffs typical hierarchy in the ECB as usual - backward, out of touch and all
need a f******* good shoeing to bring them to their senses. Half of them are nearly dead anyway - so
maybe that would be a good thing.

ECB - you are a load of load f****ng wan**rs

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

We you there too? I did like the moment when Prior was descending into detail way beyond what was needed at an after dinner event, when Freddie looked up and said "do you think you should let it go now Matt?". Good night though, delighted to meet a broadcasting hero in Henry Blofeld.

I will add that no matter what KP did in the past, to tell him to get back into County cricket and he stands a chance of being picked, only to tell him he has no chance of being picked is nothing short of amateurish and disgraceful really. The whole setup, the ECB, the players, it doesn't seem a very trustworthy place at the moment. Strauss is the wrong man for the job IMHO. The ECB and England need a shot in the arm, not more of the same.

Great night, but as was highlighted although he has come back to County cricket, there is a hidden agenda, as being a non-international in the IPL reduces his earnings.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Kevin Pietersen anger at 'deceitful' England - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/32715197

 

[nicko31]

Strauss has put himself under huge pressure, if we get tonked by the Ozzies people will be saying told you so. And I think we will, just put a thick wedge on the Ozzies to win the series.

Thanks Andrew an easy 40% in 3 months...

 

[Leekbrookgull]

this is the guy who was texting G/S at Lords the S/A Captain whilst Himself K/P was playing for England.
Goodbye and Good Riddance.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Kevin Pietersen anger at 'deceitful' England - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/32715197

Would have done better to keep quiet. For me, hurt or not, he's just proved once again he is a loose cannon he can't be trusted.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Wake up he wants to play 'International cricket' so plays IPL Cricket,yet signing for Glamorgan,Was going to say Yorks/Lancs but they have sussed him out,maybe Surrey,yep. At least he can Go Up West ??

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Would have done better to keep quiet. For me, hurt or not, he's just proved once again he is a loose cannon he can't be trusted.

I'd be quite keen to talk if the whole world was told I couldn't be trusted.

The door has been closed and I'd let them know how I feel.

No - one is barred from playing for England... pah. What utter rubbish.