5 cricketers who were dropped after a big Test knock
"Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties," goes the popular proverb, and it couldn't be more true. There have been twists and turns and unpredictable results all through the history of the game, and they aren't likely to stop any time soon.
But in certain cases, the uncertain element might not feature on the field. There could be things happening behind the scenes that produce an unlikely result, and it takes months, sometimes even years, for the fans to figure it out.
Generally, if a player scores a century in a Test match or an ODI, he is most likely to feature in the next game unless he is injured. But there have been instances where cricketers were dropped after they scored a big innings in a game.
Here is a look at 5 such cricketers:
#5 Kevin Pietersen, 2012 (149 vs South Africa)
Kevin Pietersen is a fine English batsman whoaw phenomenal stroke-play earned him respect worldwide. However, he lost many years of his international career after being involved in controversies both on and off the field.
Pietersen made his Test debut during the historic 2005 Ashes series. He made a grand entry, topping the scoring charts in that series with 473 runs in five Tests at an average of 52.55.
Pietersen was handed over the captaincy in 2008, but his reign was brief; it ended due to his uncomfortable relationship with the England coach, Peter Moores.
In 2012, he scored a flawless 149-run knock against South Africa at Headingley, but an ugly incident outside the cricket field was enough to make him sit out in the following Test match. Following that match, he was accused of sending text messages to the opposition team members containing offensive words about his national team captain Andrew Strauss.
The texts, sent through Blackberry Messenger, were made public and Pietersen had to apologize to the entire team, after which he was allowed to take field for the Three Lions in their Test match in India later that year. The switch-hit man played his last Test in 2014, ending his career with 8181 runs in 104 matches including 23 centuries at an average of 47.28.