It's Tough Being Me - The Kevin Pietersen Story

[Top_Cat]

It's a peculiar piece for Oborne to write. Now I usually lean towards the "only good Tory is a dead Tory" style of old-school unreconstructed leftism, but I have a lot of time for him. He's from the anglican, paternalistic, one-nation wing of conservatism and has campaigned at various times against Apartheid and Israel's occupation of Palestine, so could arguably be said to be somewhat to the left of New Labour on some important issues. He also noteably wrote a wholly excellent (and, if not definitive, then certainly the tome against which future efforts will be judged) biography of Basil D'Oliveira, who represented Blighty with great honour and no little skill, so for him to say:



Seems quite a stunning volte face.

His article ignores SA-born players like Robin Smith, who was one of the bravest and least selfish players to wear the three lions when I was a young shaver, for no other reason than Judgey doesn't seem to fit the ugly Saffer archetype he's constructed.

For my money the thing that unites Greig & Pietersen could just as easily be that they're avaricious arseholes, not that they're South African.

Agree with all this. Most teeth-grinding part is that it's all so predictable; saw quite a few people predicting the press would turn on KP in exactly this way, possibly before his debut. As cliche as his 'I heart England' pronouncements were in the early days, nothing he said was ever going to be enough to stop this from happening.

 

[Top_Cat]

From April 2004, mind you.

Southern comfort | Cricket Features | Wisden Cricket Monthly | ESPN Cricinfo

The prospect of South African sledging does not faze him. More of a concern are the inevitable English jibes about passports of convenience. "There's no doubt about it," he says. "We feel the pressure because of coming from South Africa, and the things that people say," he says, empathising with the Zimbabwe-born Hick. "I know I've just got to continue scoring runs. It's very difficult, it's easy to get side-tracked and I'm not going to lie about it."

Since then Pietersen's reputation has preceded him. A rapidly deteriorating relationship with Nottinghamshire took a turn for the worse at the end of last season when the club captain, Jason Gallian, hurled Pietersen's gear over the dressing-room balcony after Pietersen told him he wanted to terminate his contract a year early. In February the county were served with a claim for unfair dismissal despite the fact that the gear-throwing incident did not strictly constitute dismissal. And in between Pietersen was instructed by the Academy coach Rod Marsh to walk away from any interviewer who brought the subject up - something he has not always managed to do.

This was all grist to the mill of critics who argue that Pietersen could one day disrupt the England dressing room.

Indeed.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Sambit Bal : Sambit Bal: The case for flexibility in the Pietersen saga | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Yay another dross article about Pietersen. Forgetting that there's no I in team.

 

[Spark]

God forbid that someone points out that big egos need to be managed, not just cast aside.

 

[benchmark00]

God forbid that someone points out that big egos need to be managed, not just cast aside.

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

 

[grecian]

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

Indeed, this arguments so tiresome, Bairstow can part replace him, and we need to give other guys a run, maybe Taylor. Give them a go, fresh start and all that.

Do I need to do the full list of people he's fallen out with?

 

[four_or_six]

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

I'm with benchmark00 on this one.

World going to end tomorrow?

 

[Jacknife]

Agree with all this. Most teeth-grinding part is that it's all so predictable; saw quite a few people predicting the press would turn on KP in exactly this way, possibly before his debut. As cliche as his 'I heart England' pronouncements were in the early days, nothing he said was ever going to be enough to stop this from happening.

There's an article that I remember reading years ago, I think it was by quite a famous SA journalist that predicted exactly that, never been able to find it since though.

Said it from the start, I personally hope this can be sorted out and we can move on because I don't think what's happened should be an end to such a great batsmen' s career, we're a better side with him in it.

We've got some big series ahead against India and the Ashes double header and I'd much rather KP was there than not. Obviously he's got some things he's got to do to make things right but like I've said before all should be done by both sides to make this happen.

 

[Spikey]

not in the wc squad.

 

[Spikey]

ravi 'cbf' bopara in instead. the cruelest blow yet

 

[Spark]

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

The short term is different to the long term. There's clearly a push within parts of the ECB and the media to make sure he never plays an international match again, which is fairly pathetic IMO.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

The short term is different to the long term. There's clearly a push within parts of the ECB and the media to make sure he never plays an international match again, which is fairly pathetic IMO.

I think at present feelings are running high, obviously the one day series v SA and the T20 WC are too soon to bring him back. Be interesting to see the India squads though, if he isn't back for that I doubt he will return.

 

[benchmark00]

If you make your bed...

 

[Spark]

Surely that, assuming (and I know this is a heavy assumption) that KP does actually get his head down and starts scoring runs in county cricket and makes a serious effort to mediate his problems with Flower and Strauss, it's incumbent on the ECB (who, I'll remind anyone, have not been paragons of virtue in this saga either) to select the best XI, not the best XI amongst players they happen to like?

 

[benchmark00]

Surely that, assuming (and I know this is a heavy assumption) that KP does actually get his head down and starts scoring runs in county cricket and makes a serious effort to mediate his problems with Flower and Strauss, it's incumbent on the ECB (who, I'll remind anyone, have not been paragons of virtue in this saga either) to select the best XI, not the best XI amongst players they happen to like?

Undoubtedly, if KP proves he can contribute to the team environment and bring the best out of himself and his team mates then great, but if someone comes in and performs (like Bairstow) then they become the incumbent and they're in the drivers seat and they will remain in the team until they stop holding up their end of the bargain. It's no longer a case of KP just ticking the boxes and he's back in, he's lost that right. It's a case of the people in front of him having to lose their form for a sustained period of time.

The ECB and all English fans should be hoping that they don't need to pick Pietersen again, because the people who have replaced him have done their job, and judging by the last test, it's started off well.

 

[Top_Cat]

It's up to them to select the best team, not the best XI, if you catch my drift. It's conceivable that KP may never fit into an English team again. For that reason, think nothing short of a change of management of the English team in addition to the above will see him play Tests again. Which, by the way, ****ing sucks because I love the guy. But, ****, I can't think of any leader in any situation who will take being undermined like KP did lying down and I'd hazard it would mostly have been Strauss's call.

Christ, even Warnie had the smarts to wait until he was safely retired (for, what, a week?) before bagging Flanders and he had support within the team. KP seems right out in the cold cradling his wedding tackle on this one.

 

[Spark]

Undoubtedly, if KP proves he can contribute to the team environment and bring the best out of himself and his team mates then great, but if someone comes in and performs (like Bairstow) then they become the incumbent and they're in the drivers seat and they will remain in the team until they stop holding up their end of the bargain. It's no longer a case of KP just ticking the boxes and he's back in, he's lost that right. It's a case of the people in front of him having to lose their form for a sustained period of time.

The ECB and all English fans should be hoping that they don't need to pick Pietersen again, because the people who have replaced him have done their job, and judging by the last test, it's started off well.

I get your point, but I don't rate his replacements highly enough for me to see him having no way back at all. In the end the deciding factor will probably be what Top_Cat is hinting - whether the England management are willing to even contemplate picking him at all.

 

[fredfertang]

I get your point, but I don't rate his replacements highly enough for me to see him having no way back at all. In the end the deciding factor will probably be what Top_Cat is hinting - whether the England management are willing to even contemplate picking him at all.

They will be willing to have him back, but not I suspect at a price KP is prepared to pay

 

[Spark]

Play all three forms etc?

 

[fredfertang]

I was thinking more in terms of the extent of the humiliation in the climbdown they will expect