Kevin Pietersens England career over.

[Pevenseagull]

England short form squads announced, evidently the inclusion of Dernbach gives us a better chance than Pietersen being there.

Good old ECB

 

[keaton]

Two excellent articles on Cricinfo about it all

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/716589.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/716851.html

 

[vegster]

Two excellent articles on Cricinfo about it all

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/716589.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/716851.html

The first article does not really say much but the second is a little more illuminating on what may have occured. Seems that KP may have got the thin end of the wedge over the fall out.

 

[spring hall convert]

The first article does not really say much but the second is a little more illuminating on what may have occured. Seems that KP may have got the thin end of the wedge over the fall out.

I am telling you, it is a cosy boys club. No one wants to rock the boat. Pietersen is the only one prepared to address failings, that's why he fell out with Moores and why he fell out with Flower. Read the first couple of paragraphs in that first article again, especially the stuff around his conduct in Australia. Does any of it ring as untrue?

I just think he has higher standards than the rest and expects the others to have them. The ECB are all administrators scared of rocking the boat for losing their jobs and insecure about their fading role in the world of cricket now that the sub-continent holds all the ace cards.

Who are they going to blame when someone else starts agitating about playing in the IPL? Pietersen is a massively convenient fall guy for everyone. The first article is right, he's the best batsman we've had in my lifetime, he hasn't been jettisoned for cricketing reasons so the paying public deserve to know a little more. It's going to come out anyway, it's already starting to.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

This has been argued many times and assumes that the only reason for County Cricket is to produce Test Players, which it isn't.

In 1993 to TCCB [pre ECB] changed the county championship from 3 days to 4 - do you not know why?

 

[spring hall convert]

The first article is right, he's the best batsman we've had in my lifetime

Just realised that I owe Gooch a massive apology. 2nd best.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

It's a heck of a debate. Boring for a blog but I can see both sides of this one. For years England have (rightly) gone down the "we need KP in the tent" route - and bent heaven and earth to look after him. Last time we did was after he had insulted our captain (Strauss) in text messages sent to the opposition.

He has now managed to play major parts in the departure of Peter Moores, Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower - all very successful captains and coaches. I strongly suspect he's tried to undermine Cook over the winter as well.

It's bloody sad, but he's never given his all for England - just shine every so often on the big stage. I'll bloody miss him, but think England will be better off without him.

Martlet,well done Nailed it.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

I am telling you, it is a cosy boys club. No one wants to rock the boat. Pietersen is the only one prepared to address failings, that's why he fell out with Moores and why he fell out with Flower. Read the first couple of paragraphs in that first article again, especially the stuff around his conduct in Australia. Does any of it ring as untrue?

I just think he has higher standards than the rest and expects the others to have them. The ECB are all administrators scared of rocking the boat for losing their jobs and insecure about their fading role in the world of cricket now that the sub-continent holds all the ace cards.

Who are they going to blame when someone else starts agitating about playing in the IPL? Pietersen is a massively convenient fall guy for everyone. The first article is right, he's the best batsman we've had in my lifetime, he hasn't been jettisoned for cricketing reasons so the paying public deserve to know a little more. It's going to come out anyway, it's already starting to.

Cosy boys club So you send text messages to the opposition whilst a game is in play ?

 

[spring hall convert]

Cosy boys club So you send text messages to the opposition whilst a game is in play ?

About your lame duck captain who was no longer good enough to play Test Match cricket. Pietersen handled it terribly but ultimately he was right, Strauss only played one more Test after the incident and he was beyond awful in that series.

He's gone about things the wrong way but more often than not he's been right. Moores wan't good enough, Strauss was done as a Test cricketer, the ECB won't move the first test match of the summer because they are jealous of the IPL and Flower probably did suffocate the players and they had bored of his regime. Truth hurts and this cosy club can't take it when someone points out what is blindingly obvious.

 

[vegster]

About your lame duck captain who was no longer good enough to play Test Match cricket. Pietersen handled it terribly but ultimately he was right, Strauss only played one more Test after the incident and he was beyond awful in that series.

He's gone about things the wrong way but more often than not he's been right. Moores wan't good enough, Strauss was done as a Test cricketer, the ECB won't move the first test match of the summer because they are jealous of the IPL and Flower probably did suffocate the players and they had bored of his regime. Truth hurts and this cosy club can't take it when someone points out what is blindingly obvious.

Truth is that KP threw his wicket away too many times, and lots of people don't like that little truth either.

 

[spring hall convert]

Truth is that KP threw his wicket away too many times, and lots of people don't like that little truth either.

An average of 47 is an average of 47, whatever way you cut it. His Test record is up there with the best this country has ever played. Bopara, Morgan, Root, Taylor dream of having the kind of career he's had. There's more than one way to skin a cat old bean and you can't have a team of Cooks the same way as you can't have a team of Pietersens. I know which one would put more bums on seats though.

 

[fat old seagull]

I give it 6 months and he will be back in the team

Mmmm that's always a possibility due to our being bereft of quality cricketers. However I'd be surprised if KP will be able to keep his mouth closed. If he starts slagging off other players and the 'stripy tie' brigade in the media it will be bye bye for sure.

 

[spring hall convert]

. However I'd be surprised if KP will be able to keep his mouth closed.

I'll like the ECB to get their mouth open to be honest, rather than try and convince us that Moeen Ali & Stephen Parry are going to sort it out. Both decent players no doubt but they must think we are bloody idiots.

 

[vegster]

An average of 47 is an average of 47, whatever way you cut it. His Test record is up there with the best this country has ever played. Bopara, Morgan, Root, Taylor dream of having the kind of career he's had. There's more than one way to skin a cat old bean and you can't have a team of Cook's the same way as you can't have a team of Pietersen's. I know which one would put more bums on seats though.

It was said in The Times that he was not so much a great player as someone who played some great innings. I think that is a fairer assessment of him.

 

[spring hall convert]

It was said in The Times that he was not so much a great player as someone who played some great innings. I think that is a fairer assessment of him.

Undoubtedly with more application he could have been better but how good does that make him then? Look at his record, it bears scrutiny with all of his contemporaries and all outside the truly great English batsman. And by truly great I'm talking aside from Gooch a list of players all retired before I was born.

 

[vegster]

Undoubtedly with more application he could have been better but how good does that make him then? Look at his record, it bears scrutiny with all of his contemporaries and all outside the truly great English batsman. And by truly great I'm talking aside from Gooch a list of players all retired before I was born.

If David Gower had had a little more application he would have been 3 times the player KP could ever be.

 

[spring hall convert]

If David Gower had had a little more application he would have been 3 times the player KP could ever be.

Probably fair, beautiful to watch in his pomp, Gower and faced better bowlers. I'm done with this debate now, I'm making myself angry and for what? We could send an U-18's team out to the Windies and they'd probably win.

 

[vegster]

Probably fair, beautiful to watch in his pomp, Gower and faced better bowlers. I'm done with this debate now, I'm making myself angry and for what? We could send an U-18's team out to the Windies and they'd probably win.

There is little point in winding yourself up into a frenzy, what is done is done and we will probably never be privy to the real facts of what occurred. Interestingly enough, Matt Prior was dragged in to the mess by way of Twitter comments by Piers Moron who seems to be taking up the cudgels for KP. This is going to end up another Grassy Knoll, another Poogate, with no end to speculation and acrimony.

 

[joeinbrighton]

It was said in The Times that he was not so much a great player as someone who played some great innings. I think that is a fairer assessment of him.

He is England's 4th highest test run scorer of all time. Only Gooch, Stewart and Gower have scored more test runs in the history of English cricket. He has scored 67 more runs in test cricket than Geoff Boycott in 4 test matches fewer. He has scored 23 test hundreds and only one English cricketer has scored more test centuries in the history of English cricket, that being the currently much maligned Alastair Cook, who has 2 tons more. Most of those 23 hundreds have been scored against the best opposition and have been match winning knocks. If none of that makes you a great player, I'd like to know what does.

 

[vegster]

He is England's 4th highest test run scorer of all time. Only Gooch, Stewart and Gower have scored more test runs in the history of English cricket. He has scored 67 more runs in test cricket than Geoff Boycott in 4 test matches fewer. He has scored 23 test hundreds and only one English cricketer has scored more test centuries in the history of English cricket, that being the currently much maligned Alastair Cook, who has 2 tons more. Most of those 23 hundreds have been scored against the best opposition and have been match winning knocks. If none of that makes you a great player, I'd like to know what does.

The ability to play at a consistently high level ?