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Judgement day is coming for Kevin Pietersen, following England’s shambolic tour of Australia. Team director Andy Flower has already gone and now it’s decision time for the controversial batsman.
Talk about déjà vu.
It was only two years ago that Pietersen was involving in a texting scandal with the South African team. ‘KP’ was found to be sending texts to opponents in the Proteas squad bagging his then-captain Andrew Strauss, and Flower.
Strauss retired soon after and Pietersen survived, again.
This, of course, was not the first time the Pietermaritzburg-born cricketer has run afoul of coaches and authority.
In 2009 he fell out spectactularly with then-England coach Peter Moores and Moores got the chop.
Pietersen lost the captaincity but endured. He has been the cat with nine lives.
In many ways it’s not hard to see why; he is England’s best batsmen and on his day he is a genuine match-winner.
He has a batting average in the 40s in all forms of the game and has scored 23 hundreds and 34 50s in the Test arena for England. He was also England’s highest run-scorer during the Ashes.
He is a flashy, entertaining cricketer who can blunt a bowling attack, impose himself on an opposing team and pull off some big hits. He is a crowd-puller.
But with the skills, the unarguable ability and talent, comes the giant ego and baggage.
With the English cricket team at its lowest web in decades, it’s time to assess whether Pietersen is worth all the drama.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is contemplating hard on that issue.
Pietersen has always played for himself. He loves the big occasion and you see in his shot selection he plays his way, not the way a coach or captain may have directed.
He is eyeing the big riches in Twenty20 cricket in India and wants to pick and choose the games he plays for England.
England have long tolerated Pietersen’s antics because he wins games for them, simple enough.
But at 33 years of age, after another incident and with the national side completely and utterly broken after its spanking at the hands of Australia, surely it’s time for the ECB to move on. How long at international level does the Saffa showman have left?
Dump Pietersen and rebuild the culture of the team. Bring the talented youngsters through and improve the mentality and standards of the side. Develop a vice-captain who will support Alastair Cook and learn off him.
Repair the strained relations in the squad, which saw Graeme Swann and Jonathan Trott depart mid-tour, and get England’s players playing for each other and the shirt.
Show the rest of the England squad, and those next in line, that just because you are a huge talent and a ‘star’ you cannot do whatever you want, get rid of any coach you don’t agree with and continue in the side.
England are at a low point but can start back on the long way back by making a stand here and now.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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