So long Kevin Pietersen! Thanks for the memories
There are good decisions and there are bad decisions. They all come with their own consequences. And then there are outrageous decisions. No matter what the intention behind them is, from the very inception it is clear that the situation is headed towards doom.
The English and Wales Cricket Board’s decision to sack Kevin Pietersen certainly fits in the third category. There has been a change of regime in the ECB setup – a new managing director in Paul Downton, a new chief selector in James Whitaker and a soon-to-be-appointed new team director – and they had to be seen as taking drastic measures in the aftermath of the Ashes whitewash.
Alas, in a bid to look decisive, the ECB has gone too far for its own good as it has effectively ended the international career of one of the most charismatic English cricketers ever.
Kevin Pietersen’s knock at Oval was the final nail in the coffin for Australia in 2005 Ashes
The Oval, 2005. Skunk hair, tattooed arms, loud mouth and the unmistakable swagger in the walk. Kevin Pietersen was anything but your everyday English cricketer churned out of the county system. His decision to leave the South African set-up in search of more opportunities had paid off and now he was a Test cricketer. But he had to do something to gain the love and respect of the English supporters, to be seen as one of their own. And there was no better stage to showcase his talent than the deciding Test of an Ashes series.
One of the greatest Test series hung in the balance. It was last the last day of the Ashes series and for once in about a million years England were ahead. Ricky Ponting‘s champion team, though, were not going down without one final fight. They needed to win the match to level the series and regain the urn. England needed to hang on to a draw to take the series. But against a fiercely determined Aussie attack the English batting started to crumble.
When Pietersen strode in England had a slender lead with plenty of time left. Draws are often achieved by tireless, long hours of dour batting, but the flamboyant Pietersen decided to counter-attack, taking on the might of the number 1 team.
Dropped early in his innings, Pietersen seemed unperturbed by the occasion and continued to bat in an aggressive manner. It was a welcome relief to see an English batsman play on instincts and display a rare streak of bravado. He drove Glenn McGrath with unearthly confidence. He hooked thunderbolts from Brett Lee authoritatively. He slog swept Shane Warne with disdain. The legends of the game were being manhandled by the new brash kid.
In company of the lower order he steered his side to safety with the confidence and competence of a veteran. The range of strokes he displayed en-route his maiden Test century left onlookers awe-struck.
By the time he was finally dismissed for 158, the results of the match and the series were a foregone conclusion.
Thousands of English fans woke up from their slumber to a long awaited Ashes win and the arrival of a new champion.
The irony here is that in the 0-5 loss, Pietersen emerged as the top scorer from the English camp. Although a tally of just 294 runs at a partly average of 29.4 leaves a lot to be desired, and admittedly there were some outrageous dismissals for which he was rightly chastised throughout the series, too often he was left to wage a lone battle in the middle in the company of the tail.
While most English batsmen looked clueless and out of their depths in the face of the sustained pressure created by the Aussie attack, Pietersen, along with Ben Stokes, had passages of play in which he looked in some degree of control. He is the by far best batsman in England right now, and rebuilding the side without him defies logic.
Moreover, the departure of Pietersen will leave a 13,797 international run – the most by an England player – sized hole. Ideally, a team that recently lost senior members like Jonathan Trott and Graeme Swann should actually be trying to utilize every bit of experience available to it.
An exhilarating double century from KP at Adelaide
Adelaide, 2010. The English side were more than just participants in the Ashes now, but on Australian soil they were yet to stamp their authority. After the extraordinary highs of 2005, England had to endure the morale-sapping 5-0 whitewash in the following Ashes in Australia.
Kevin Pietersen was the team’s number one batsman but he came into the series on the back of a lean patch and it had been nearly two years since his last century against the West Indies in Trinidad. Stories of Pietersen’s supposed vulnerability against left-arm spinners was the talk of the town and it wasn’t a coincidence that in the search of the next Shane Warne, Australia had zeroed in on Xavier Doherty, a left-arm spinner. After all, even part timer Yuvraj Singh, among others, claimed to have Pietersen’s number.
There were bitter-sweet memories of the last tour to overcome as well. In the previous tour in Adelaide England had raked up a massive 551/6 in the first innings with Pietersen contributing a stroke-filled 158, only to see Australia make a massive comeback and script a scarcely believable win.
Here again England started brilliantly, on the back of a superb spell from James Anderson, to restrict Australia to just 245; the stage was set to bat the Aussies out of the game. Pietersen, in company of Alastair Cook ensured that this time there were no half measures.
While Cook was in his usual run accumulating mode Pietersen chose the highway. Batting with freedom, he charged at the fast bowlers and tonked the spinners with ridiculous ease, making a good bowling attack look pedestrian. Comeback hundreds are always special and Pietersen’s relief at getting to a hundred was evident when he let out a loud cry and celebrated his triple figure score animatedly.
As the innings progressed he upped the ante and raced to his second double century, and made sure that the Aussies were dealt a strong psychological blow.
Though Doherty did manage to get him out, he was singled out for special treatment and ended up with figures of 1/158.
As Alastair Cook reached mythical proportions, England built on the win in Adelaide to take the series 3-1, thus registering their first series win in Australia in over two decades.
A new territory was conquered and England’s march to the top spot in Test rankings had begun.
What’s worse is the hush-hush manner in which ECB is handling the whole issue. As clarifications there have been just a timid and evasive official statement by the ECB that merely labelled the decision ‘unanimous’ and an interview of the new selector that bordered on embarrassing. The lack of transparency and the reluctance to divulge facts have only fuelled rumours.
Now there are whispers of a supposed showdown with Alastair Cook during the Sydney Test that might have been the final nail in the coffin; some reports suggest that Pietersen’s snide remarks and harsh criticism of Flower’s coaching style in a team meeting showcased him as a divisive agent in the team. Vice captain Matt Prior’s involvement in the whole issue was also put under the scanner which led to a very public spat on Twitter. The series of accusations and counter accusations have further deteriorated the situation.