Kevin Pieterson (4 Viewers)

[Covstu]

So Strauss has come out and stated that KP isnt in the plans for the short term. For me this is so wrong, the guy smashed 355 yesterday which just cannot be ignored given how poorly we are batting at present.

Totally understand personal issues but this is about what is best for the team and it needs KP in that squad.

Absolute farce in my opinion.

 

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[chiefdave]

It's a total joke. Graves told him to get a county and score runs and that it was a clean slate. He's given up a 7 figure payday to play for Surrey, donating his Surrey wages to charity, is scoring runs and is told he's got no chance of getting picked.

I could understand it if England were doing well but they're terrible. If we went Pietersen, Bell, Root at least we'd have a slight change when the openers mess up match after match.

Some people want to make out he's a disruption in the dressing room but its pretty telling that his team mates at Surrey and a few months ago in the Big Bash have gone out of their way to talk about what a positive influence he is.

Graves and Strauss are setting themselves up for a fall. What happens when KP keeps scoring runs while England are getting blown away by the Aussies?

 

[Monners]

Total nonsense. It's professional sport at the top level. You make sure the best players are on the pitch - I think I have heard Michael Vaughan say a similar thing, but he (Vaughan) wouldn't get a look in as he is not an Establishment figure like Strauss.

It's like the Roy Keane scenario at the 2002 World Cup. Although it wasn't difficult to have sympathy for McCarthy, ultimately he failed to get his best player (only world class player) on the pitch.

To make it worse, I am going to one of the Ashes Test this summer!!

 

[chiefdave]

I think I have heard Michael Vaughan say a similar thing

All the former pro's and 'experts' seem to be saying the same thing. Its only the ECB that have a different opinion. If they were never going to pick him, which is now clearly the case, why tell him to go back to county cricket and get runs?

 

[Woodster]

It's been handled appallingly over the past months, despite all that's gone before for Graves to come out and dangle the carrot like that (causing media furore in the process) wasn't right.

However in my opinion he was lucky to get a second crack after texting the South Africans, then having read his book there was never going to be a route back once Strauss was given his new role. Alec Stewart or Michael Vaughan and it probably would have been a different story.

Just as pertinently, who would you drop for him? I'd love to have seen him having played for the past two years and having racked up 30 centuries, but after the period out of the side I think this is for the best going forwards. Time to draw a line under it and move on.

 

[henry the wasp]

He smashed a triple hundred against a side that have not won in 2 years. 60mph county trundlers.
Who would you drop for him?

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

He smashed a triple hundred against a side that have not won in 2 years. 60mph county trundlers.
Who would you drop for him?

I would leave out Broad as he is shot as a batsman and when the conditions don't suit looks an average bowler now, but he is far to well in the group to be left out.

A top order with Hales and KP in looks exciting and might even keep people interested while Ballance and Cook bore the pants of everybody.

KP will never get back in a Cook can't handle him and they don't want KP as the top hundred scorer it has to be Cook.

But Henry is right Leicester are crap

 

[henry the wasp]

I'd leave Broad out aswell. But England need an opener, a spinner and a couple of quicks. KP is the last thing england need.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

I'd leave Broad out aswell. But England need an opener, a spinner and a couple of quicks. KP is the last thing england need.

Hales Finn and no idea on spinner

 

[Grendel]

I would leave out Broad as he is shot as a batsman and when the conditions don't suit looks an average bowler now, but he is far to well in the group to be left out.

A top order with Hales and KP in looks exciting and might even keep people interested while Ballance and Cook bore the pants of everybody.

KP will never get back in a Cook can't handle him and they don't want KP as the top hundred scorer it has to be Cook.

But Henry is right Leicester are crap

So you'd leave out a number 10 and an opening bowler and replace with a batsman.

Ok

 

[Covstu]

He smashed a triple hundred against a side that have not won in 2 years. 60mph county trundlers.
Who would you drop for him?

Who wouldn't I drop! On current form it could be anyone from Cook, Ali, Trott (obviously made the choice for them), Balance is hardly consistent at the moment. KP could easily slot into this team and improve it by miles. There is no one in this team at present apart from Root who you would back to get a tonne against anyone.

 

[Grendel]

Who wouldn't I drop! On current form it could be anyone from Cook, Ali, Trott (obviously made the choice for them), Balance is hardly consistent at the moment. KP could easily slot into this team and improve it by miles. There is no one in this team at present apart from Root who you would back to get a tonne against anyone.

Cook made a century in the last test didn't he? Did Ali even play? Peterson would never open the batting - piers Morgan would tell him that's not his position. So Bell or Root - who'd you drop?

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

So you'd leave out a number 10 and an opening bowler and replace with a batsman.

Ok

Sure would with Jordan,Stokes,Anderson plus the spinner (no idea who as Ali isn't the answer) and a bit of Root or leave out Stokes as well a play another front line bowler. It may be a little light on bowling but they will need a hell of a lot of batting if the Aussies get going and Broad is no longer a number 10 even (his bottle has gone and Johnson will be all over him). Also the Broad and Anderson thing needs breaking would think they are as much a problem in the dressing room as KP. I would rather see Finn or another than Broad.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

Cook made a century in the last test didn't he? Did Ali even play? Peterson would never open the batting - piers Morgan would tell him that's not his position. So Bell or Root - who'd you drop?

Openers should open the Trott thing has proved thsat.

 

[stupot07]

Cook made a century in the last test didn't he? Did Ali even play? Peterson would never open the batting - piers Morgan would tell him that's not his position. So Bell or Root - who'd you drop?

Yes Ali played. Batted at 6. Scored 58 and 8 and bowled appallingly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors

 

[chiefdave]

KP's column the Telegraph is worth a read:

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

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

tbh I feel sympathy for KP, this all started because in his book he said there was a bullying culture. Tbh I sort of believe him, England obviously quickly tried to dismiss it but high profile players not from England backed him up based only what they saw on the field and there were players in the dressing room involved in a parody twitter account about him behind his back.

If he genuinely believes there was a bulling mentality then all this must only reaffirm that belief in his mind, being misled that if he played and scored in county cricket then he could be back in contention. I'm guessing they didn't plan on Pietersen calling there bluff and expected him to continue in the IPL.

 

[SkyblueBazza]

I really do think he has been treated appallingly if the reports I have read & heard are true.

At the same time - yes you want your strongest performers out on the pitch...but if they are destructive back at base camp they can seriously ruin the performance of the team.

Again - if I believe of him what I have read & heard...I wouldn't let him near any team of mine if I could prevent it.

PUSB

 

[Woodster]

I still struggle to feel that much sympathy for him, the media has gone way overboard this morning. He's made a rod for his own back after 8 years of gobshitery and is feeling the pinch now.

 

[CCFC88]

If he hadnt of hit a triple ton against a very poor county side would we even be having this conversation?

Giving up his IPL contract really wasnt such a difficult decision, he was one of the last players drafted and the money he has given up was peanuts to what he has earned over the past few seasons.

I understand his fustration at his position but I cant help but feel he has brought it on himself. Why write the book if you still have aspirations of getting back in the team? Why post negative tweets about the team when they are struggling?

Correct decision in my opinion, far too much water has passed under the bridge and with all the forward thinking changes that have happened above the team over the past months, although handled appalingly, having him back would have been a backward step.

Ashes - Conditions in England will suit openers Cook and I hope Ali, Bell and Root will always score runs over here, Anderson & Broad will always take wickets early on. Still nowhere near finding a replacement for Swann but I think we have a much better chance than most are giving us. M Johnson will be nowhere near as effective as he was last time out in Oz.

 

[Ian1779]

The ECB are a bunch of dinosaurs, and as an administration make the FA and FL look competent.

Taking the KP issue out of it... we are years behind in 50 and 20 over cricket... and now we are failing badly in the one area where we had some real presence... the Test Arena.

They've employed coaches over the last few years that are inflexible and tactically naive. You can't turn up anywhere in the world with 3 quick, a spinner and a medium pacer and think you can win... it smacks of arrogance. As dominant as we have been at home at Test level, our performance away has been nowhere near as good down to the inflexible nature of the selection and the tactics.

We had an excellent spinner in Monty.. and the coaches have ruined him by trying to change his action, as well as the way they treated him generally when he was in and around the team when he was second to Swann. Other players have been treated just as poorly along the way... Compton, Taylor, Tremlett, Finn to name but a few. It's not just CCFC that can coach the talent out of someone.

In regards to KP - whether you like him or not there are massive inconsistencies in the way he has been dealt with.

He was supposedly very vocal about English players going to the IPL.... the ECB resisted massively as playing for England was more important than the riches of the IPL.... then they let the current ODI captain out of an England international... to play in the IPL.

They claim that he has been massively disruptive but won't produce a single piece of evidence to support this.
We all read what Graves said. So he did it and now the rules have changed again.

The ECB had a chance to make themselves not look like halfwits... all they did was make themselves look even more incompetent.

 

[Monners]

Agreed Ian - Its all about the old school tie with English cricket I'm afraid (and I love the game). Anyone that doesn't fit the tem[plate gets a rough ride. The same thing happened to Swanny when he first made the team in regards to what you say about Monty. The arrogance is nauseating at times.

Seem to remember Botham getting treated disgracefully when he lost the captaincy - he walked off at Lords after getting a duck in his last game as Captain, and not one of the members applauded him, many didn't even raise a glance from their Times supplements. He was the Captain of the team and deserved better. He actually got his knighthood for his charity work - no recognition of the sporting achievements. So its all about the archaic torper that still persists in this country.

I don't particularly care for Pierterson, but he has to be part of the set up due to his qualtiy - the establishment has closed ranks and thinks differently

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

I had forgotten about Monty who like Finn they have tried to over coach and change them and most of the time they end up going back to what they know best.

 

[henry the wasp]

Monty has problems with alcohol. To blame the coaching and management would be unfair.
Also, Finn had no choice but to change his action. he kept knocking the stumps over on his delivery action. "Finn's Law".

 

[Ian1779]

Monty has problems with alcohol. To blame the coaching and management would be unfair.
Also, Finn had no choice but to change his action. he kept knocking the stumps over on his delivery action. "Finn's Law".

He didn't have problems with alcohol before he was messed about something rotten by the coaches.

 

[Grendel]

He didn't have problems with alcohol before he was messed about something rotten by the coaches.

Next you'll be blaming Bothams excesses on the coaching staff. Shane Warne probably never texted before becoming a well known figure either.

 

[henry the wasp]

He didn't have problems with alcohol before he was messed about something rotten by the coaches.

Yep, he got dropped from a test so the most natural thing was to piss on a nightclub bouncers head.
Damn you ECB!!!!!!!

 

[CCFC88]

KP pulls out of return to IPL citing injury, more likely that he couldnt be bothered to travel all the way thereknowing he probably wont get a game, when he can be in England doing interviews and kicking his pr machine into gear.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

KP pulls out of return to IPL citing injury, more likely that he couldnt be bothered to travel all the way thereknowing he probably wont get a game, when he can be in England doing interviews and kicking his pr machine into gear.

Flew to Dubai on a private jet instead, oh how the cricket world has changed

 

[Ian1779]

He didn't have problems with alcohol before he was messed about something rotten by the coaches.

I'm not saying they were directly responsible - but prior to that he did not have alcohol problems. I believe his marriage fell apart around a similar time. Maybe some players can't cope when it gets too tough on and off the pitch. That aside... the coaches managed to strip every bit of technique and confidence out of him

 

[chiefdave]

30-4 on the first morning of the first test against NZ. Not really going to help silence the calls for KP to be in the side.

 

[Covstu]

30-4 on the first morning of the first test against NZ. Not really going to help silence the calls for KP to be in the side.

a bloody rightly so! Relying on Root to get us out of the shit again...

 

[Grendel]

30-4 on the first morning of the first test against NZ. Not really going to help silence the calls for KP to be in the side.

Pieterson was never the best in a crises.

 

[CCFC88]

Batting long though with Ali at 8, must still fancy 320+ Will be interresting to see how Gupthill Williamnson et al go in these conditions