“Leave the players out of this”: Kevin Pietersen wants England selectors to explain rotation policy
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has hit out at the media for questioning players over the rest and rotation policy adopted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Kevin Pietersen feels England’s selectors and the management should be answering queries in this matter. The visitors, missing a slew of key personnel, were thrashed 1-3 in the four-match series, despite winning the opening Test in Chennai.
On his official Twitter account, Kevin Pietersen disagreed with the notion of questioning players over the ECB's rotation policy and the IPL vs country debate. His tweet read:
"So the PLAYERS are now being quizzed by media everyday about IPL and playing early Test matches in England. First the youngster, Curran & now Jos. The questions should be at Harrison, Giles & Smith! Not seen them front up to India debacle?! Leave the players out of this.”
With the Test series done and dusted, England will now face India in a five-match T20I series, starting on March 12 in Ahmedabad.
England players unsure of New Zealand Tests owing to clash with the IPL
England are scheduled to play two Tests in New Zealand, starting from June 2. However, with the IPL final is slated to be held on May 30, franchises would want their best players available for the maximum duration possible.
Asked about the same at a virtual press conference, all-rounder Sam Curran, who represents Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, admitted that could be a dilemma. He was quoted as saying in this regard:
“Any time there are England games in the summer, you do want to play in them. You’ll have to see how the IPL tournament pans out. I guess if you miss the qualification then, most likely you’ll be available for those Tests. If you’re in the final, it might be a bit different. No one really knows how it will gonna pan out. Those New Zealand Tests have come into the calendar recently, and there’s a lot of Test cricket.”
Asked about the same, dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, who is a key player for Rajasthan Royals, observed that there is no 'perfect answer' to the query. He responded by saying:
"We know playing for England is a huge draw for everyone, and we're very well remunerated playing for England; we're very fortunate in that case. The ECB and the players work very closely together to try and manage that, so is there a perfect answer at the moment? No. And certainly not in the times we are operating in at the moment. Those New Zealand Tests have been added to a very busy schedule quite late on.”
Apart from Sam Curran and Jos Butler, the likes of Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali could also face a similar predicament.
IPL 2021 will kick off on April 9 with a match between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The final will be played on May 30 in Ahmedabad.