Andrew Strauss, the former England captain and the newly appointed Director of Cricket for the ECB, effectively closed doors on the highly talented but controversial Kevin Pietersen’s England career.
It was up to Strauss to decide whether to allow Kevin Pietersen back in the England team or not, and he messed up royally, deciding that Pietersen’s days with the England Test team were over as he said there was a “massive trust issue” with KP. Strauss told the media that Pietersen was not a part of England’s plans for the Ashes.
He said, “The first thing to say is now’s the time for some really honest and open conversation about Kevin Pietersen. No one has ever doubted Kevin Pietersen’s ability as a player. He has been a phenomenal player for England over a long period of time. His record stacks up to anyone in England cricket, and he should be very proud of that. But over months and years, the trust between himself and the ECB has eroded.”
“Because of that, we’ve told him it’s not in the best short-term interests of the side for him to be in the team. I’ve let him know he’s not part of our plans for the future, and I can’t give him any guarantees beyond that … but he’s not banned from the side, no one knows what’s going to happen in the future.”
What makes it even worse is that Mr. Strauss offered the still active Pietersen, who is one of the best batsmen in the world and by a fair distance the best batsman in England, a chance to get involved with the England team as a consultant to the management! This is as bizarre as it gets. Pietersen naturally declined.
This is what Mr. Strauss has to say about his oh-so-generous offer: “Firstly there are not many people who know more about one-day cricket than Kevin Pietersen, he’s got a lot to offer that conversation. He’s played in T20 competitions all round the world, he knows a lot about one day cricket, and I want to use as many people, as many different viewpoints as possible to formulate the right strategy.
“Maybe part of that would have been the start of rebuilding trust. Maybe that’s the starting point, to get involved in that capacity and see how we go. At the moment he doesn’t feel that he can take up that position. I understand that. I hope over time he can reconsider.”
What has happened is really pathetic because Pietersen was promised by the ECB chief Colin Graves that he would be allowed back into the England team if he proved himself in County cricket. Pietersen gave up a lucrative career in the IPL to play County cricket this season and made a career best unbeaten 324 not out only yesterday.
Pietersen’s friend, the media celebrity Piers Morgan talks about how he felt betrayed by Strauss and the ECB. Morgan says: “I spoke to Kevin this morning and he’s incredibly upset, he believes he’s been deeply misled. He believes he made decisions which were at a huge financial cost to him which has an impact on his livelihood and his family.
“He did it because he was told if he did it and it worked he would be back in the England team. Last night he was told face to face with Andrew Strauss that’s not happening. He feels angry, frustrated, misled and I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
What has happened is hard to believe as it seems that Mr. Strauss has just set England cricket on the fast track to national irrelevance and made his cricket board the laughing stock of the cricket world. As Gary Linekar, the former England football star puts it succinctly, “I see Mr Strauss has allowed personal grievance to influence his decisions. Seems extraordinarily petty and immature. Doesn’t bode well.”
Cricket is no longer an important sport in England, and by shunting out perhaps the only England cricketer who is even remotely famous or known to the public at large, Strauss has ended up losing even the little support that cricket had in the country. At IndiaBet.org, we expect England to lose all the Test matches to be played this season against both New Zealand, and worse to Australia. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to support the English cricket team.
