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The England and Wales Cricket Board this morning announced that batsman Kevin Pietersen would not be touring the West Indies with the England Test squad, and would not be playing in the World Twenty20.
Ryan O’Connell’s crystal ball gazing looks to have come to fruition, with Pietersen’s international career now over. This article was first published on The Roar on January 20:
It appears increasingly likely Kevin Pietersen will be made the scapegoat for England’s disastrous Ashes tour, with reports the South African-born batsman will never play in the English Test team again, as long as Alastair Cook and Andy Flower are captain and coach, respectively.
Considering both those individuals are set to keep their jobs, it would indicate Pietersen has played his last Test.
This stunning news is not only disappointing for cricket fans, as Pietersen is one of the best and most entertaining batsmen in world cricket, but it’s a sad indictment on the supposed ‘brains trust’ of the English cricket team.
Pietersen’s ego and ability to divide the changeroom have been called into question before. Yet it seems remarkable one player – the leading scorer for England in the series, no less – could be identified as the main reason a team was walloped 5-0.
If that isn’t the definition of ‘scapegoat’, I don’t know what is.
Though I have written before about how important culture and chemistry can be to a cricket team, it’s a fair debate to ask if it can have a more negative impact than shocking captaincy, poor planning and a lack of runs, which is what Cook and Flower combined to provide during the Ashes series.
News that Flower and Pietersen clashed during the series had surfaced a number of times during the summer, and just last week a further report emerged of a verbal altercation between Cook and Pietersen on the eve of the Sydney Test.
Clearly all was not well between the star batsman and his captain and coach.
Nor was it the first time Pietersen had been involved in incidents with team hierarchy.
Pietersen is alleged to have sent derogatory texts to South African players about previous English captain Andrew Strauss and Flower, and he lost the captaincy himself after clashes with then coach Peter Moores, who subsequently lost his job.
Combined with his disdain for the media, along with his sometimes reckless and selfish batting, it would seem England have decided Pietersen is no longer worth the drama that surrounds him.
On the surface, you can understand that sentiment. Morale is a vital ingredient for successful teams, especially in cricket.
If KP, as he is fondly known, is guilty of damaging team morale to the point where it becomes a major issue, then action needs to be taken.
Though I would question if that action should involve the perception that the captain and coach have been absolved in their role, not just in the Ashes thumping, but in controlling Pietersen, which should be part of their remit.
If Pietersen has failed in that regard, then so too have they.
I have no idea what goes on, and has gone on, behind closed English changreoom doors, so it’s therefore dangerous to speculate. Yet you would hope Pietersen was on some type of ‘last chance’ for this drastic action to be taken, rather than simply adjudicating he played an unacceptably large role in England’s dismal performances.
When analysing the Ashes series, and where it all went wrong for England, can Pietersen be pinpointed for Cook’s pathetic excuse for captaincy? For his overly defensive field placings? For his poor rotation of his bowlers? For his embarrassing use of Monty Panesar in Melbourne?
Was it KP’s fault that Jimmy Anderson looked uninterested and unmotivated for a large part of the series? That Graeme Swann appeared to have retired before the series even begun? That Jonathan Trott went home early with a stress-related illness? That Matt Prior completely lost form? For England dropping catches?
Does Pietersen take responsibility for thrusting Joe Root into the number three spot, instead of the ready-made Ian Bell? For not picking Graeme Onions in the touring squad? For Chris Tremlett looking like Tarzan, but bowling like Jane? For picking a wicketkeeper who doesn’t even keep for his county?
What role did KP play in Mitchell Johnson having a career-defining series, consistently bowling thunderbolts that England just couldn’t handle? In Brad Haddin saving Australia’s backside in five consecutive Tests? In Michael Clarke’s brilliant tactical captaincy? In coach Darren Lehmann instilling confidence, belief and sense of fun into the Australian side?
England are kidding themselves if they think dropping Pietersen in the answer to their Ashes woes. Surely some form of mediation between KP and his captain and coach should have been attempted first?
Even if that had already been attempted – and failed – I struggle to believe that booting 8,181 Test runs at an average of 47.28 out of the team is the answer, especially when said runs have been match-winning on numerous occasions.
Lastly, if dumping Pietersen was the only option left for Flower and Cook, surely that should call into question their ability to handle different and/or difficult personalities within the team, a prerequisite for anyone in their roles.
I suspect England’s troubles run a lot deeper than one egotistical batsman; one that – disgracefully – has almost certainly be used as a scapegoat.