KP to retire from international cricket after 3rd test?

First topic message reminder :

Told TMS he 'can't give any assurances the next test won't be his last'.

Leaves England's already fragile middle order in a big hole.

I just hope international cricket is not robbed of Kevin Pietersen and things could be worked out better.
KP's complaints about cricket overkill taken in a particular context has a point, but at the same time he's also making arrangements to play more domestic T-20 tournaments so is a touch pointless.
But at the same time the ECB is doing a terrible job out there, this has been pathetic management of a dificult situation and leaking out all the details of his discussions with the ECB has been a terrible act on their part.
Think the best thing that can be worked out at this stage is to let KP play tests and T-20s and make it clear he has to be available for all the matches in those formats.
Will be areal shame if KP is lost to international cricket.
How many England batters in the last 15 years averaged 50 in test matches?

Think it was extremely silly and short sighted of the ECB to leak information regarding these "negotiations".
They have basically ruled out any chance of "negotiating" with KP. They could have just stayed mum and if it ever came to a point where they thought that KP is too good to be let go, they could have privately negotiated with KP to miss the NZ Tests and by saying in the media that he has been rested to try out youth. If they do that now, they will be seen as "too weak" as it will be fairly clear in the media as well as to the other players that it is KP and not the ECB, who is calling the shots with regards to his selection/rest.
Of course, it depends a lot on what exactly KP's demands were. Did he want to just miss the one series against NZ next summer or miss early summer Tests each year? I'd probably be okay with the former. It allows us to try out youth against a depleted NZ side and players like Strauss have been allowed to have a test series off before.
But the latter could set a dangerous precedent.

I can possibly understand why KP wants to have the NZ series off. The test summer starts a bit too early next year(not that the ECB can do anything about it with the Champs Trophy, Ashes, etc). He will hardly get to play any IPL next year.
However, if he wants to miss early summer tests each year and is not prepared to miss even a week or two of the IPL, then thats unacceptable and allowing him to do that will set very dangerous precedents.

Stella wrote:They're possibly just as bored with him as the rest of us, fists.

a

Got to agree with Stella, KP is digging his own grave and will go down in history as a great that might have been even better if he could have only kept his gob shut and gave 100% to the team that gave him his chance, way too big for his boots. And his love of "England" should also be thrown into the mix.

The Olympians put this man to shame.

This is PURE self indulgence and nothing else.

And the crap that comes from some that the I in the team or that the team should not come first is not relevant drivel.

Without the team, you win - NOTHING.

I have said many times that a 'clear the air talks' are required in this situation.

What worries me is the negative effect this may be having on the rest of the team, be it the ECB's doing or KP's doing doesnt matter, this has to be resolved before the rot spreads thickly.

Shanky, that was a very good post.

KP Genius A/C is shut down. Such a shame

K.P being a bit too sensitive there. Swann in particular hands out twitter abuse like its going out of business.

Think Shanky has summed it all up very well

Just hope sense can eventually prevail.

Most of this twitter stuff belongs in the playground. I really cannot understand professional sportsmen and women bothering with this tripe (Rio F a case in point).

KP needs to grow-up a bit as well and stop camouflaging his key issues with this petty bit of nonsense....

Its just banter haha.

KP's ego not accepting ridicule

Paddy Power are currently offering odds on who was behind the now infamous KP parody account. A sample of some of the names:

Nick Knight 3-1 (Fav)
Swanny 10-1
Jimmy 10-1
Bumble 12-1
Ricky Ponting 33-1
Peter Moores 33-1
Andy Flower 33-1
Graeme Smith 33-1
KP 40-1
Dickie Bird 200-1

Yuvraj too, I'd have thought?
Yuvraj the pie chucker vs KP the genius!

No takers for Derek Pringle? A bit surprising.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2186278/Kevin-Pietersen-sent-text-messages-South-African-rivals-second-Test.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

What the heck does that matter? The media in this country really are tossers at times.

If KP hadn't performed then maybe they would have a point, but the fact that he blazed a magnificent century and took 4 wickets makes it an enormously redundant point.

If that's how he performs afterwards then by all means he can text satan himself during a Test if he wants to.

Well none of this is going to improve relations between KP and English Cricket.

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2186278/Kevin-Pietersen-sent-text-messages-South-African-rivals-second-Test.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

the bitterest of rivals.....Eng-Aus, Aus-SA, Ind-Pak....have been known to share a beer at the end of a hard fought day from time immemorial.....that wasn't considred wrong.

so what's the issue here with sms-es ? Or is it is witch hunt ?

I think neither.....it's simply media adding some fuel to keep the fire burning.

Disgusting to be texting the opposition during a game especially if it was to moan about your team mates. Sharing a beer at the end of a test match (And I doubt Ind-Pak ever did anyways!) is a different matter as it would have been far more all together.

The only logical thing to do is unfortunately drop KP and say that he is not welcome in the dressing room until his attitude changes.

The sad thing is that had the ECB allowed KP to play test and t20 cricket only then none of this would have happened however KP has evidently rubbed several people up the wrong way both before and afterwards.

The question would also be how many current England players are friends with KP at the moment? We all know Swann isn't and Prior definitely isn't his biggest fan either. If this rift is turning into the entire England squad and then KP by himself then it cannot be a healthy dressing room.

Following on from if KP retires or is dropped (to me it seams like its turning into a possible jumped before he was pushed scenario) where do we go test wise without him at number 4? A scenario which hasn't occured for 3 or so years (Off the top of my head on the last time KP didn't play in a test). Surely logically Bell will move up to 4 and Taylor up to 5. Maybe Prior at 6, Bairstow at 7? Or Bopara at 6, Prior at 7?

Disgusting?!?

As far as I'm concerned KP can text whoever he likes, whenever he likes. It's how he performs when he crosses the boundry rope that matters most. The whole thing is becoming very embarrassing for everyone involved now and I have to say that my faith in this well-oiled England management system is dwindling a little

Yes disgusting. Based on the supposed content of the texts and the inapropriatness of texting the opposition during the game about your teammates.

Bare in mind that its probably in their contracts somewhere that they are not allowed to.

Disgusting is a little too much don't you think? Stupid maybe but not disgusting.

And anyway, the Daily Mail is disgusting, it 'creates' stories and hyerbole to belittle foreigners on a regular basis.

Okay maybe disgusting is a touch harsh. Foolish, stupid, idiotic and just plain thick are probably better.

Agree on the daily mail tho. The only British paper to support the Nazi's before WW2 just about says it all

Gregers wrote:Yes disgusting. Based on the supposed tent of the texts and the inapropriatness of texting the opposition during the game about your teammates.

Bare in mind that its probably in their contracts somewhere that they are not allowed to.

yes based on imagined suppositions....you can villify anyone.
It's a fantastic story selling airspace and printspace and blogosperes........and beneficiaries of these sales......would like it to go on...by stirring up and fuelling human suppositions / imaginations.

Arent the anti corruption laws supposed to ban them from access to mobile phones during matches?

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Arent the anti corruption laws supposed to ban them from access to mobile phones during matches?

They get their phones taken off them when they are in the ground, but there's nothing to stop them texting once they go home I suspect.

When something like this is happens the media will jump on any small occurance and blow it all out of proportion. The media do love a good smeer campaign

liverbnz wrote:

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Arent the anti corruption laws supposed to ban them from access to mobile phones during matches?

They get their phones taken off them when they are in the ground, but there's nothing to stop them texting once they go home I suspect.

Yeah they all tweet etc after the game

I've got a sneaky that KP will be dropped for the 3rd test. A show of strength from Flower, Miller and Strauss. Muscle flexing personified.

They can't afford to drop him.

Biltong wrote:They can't afford to drop him.

Oh I know. But they can't let our best player get to cocky now, can they. I hope I'm wrong of course.

They can drop him after, but being one match down and having to must win the last test, can you just imagine the outcry, if they drop him and lose?

Biltong wrote:They can't afford to drop him.

Can they afford to retain him? Is there a link between the dressing room disharmony and the sudden drop off in form of the team as a whle? England previously made a big song and dance about their team ethic and unity of purpose and the effect that had on performances.
It would hardly be the first tie that backstage theatrics has ruined the show in cricket

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:

Biltong wrote:They can't afford to drop him.

Can they afford to retain him? Is there a link between the dressing room disharmony and the sudden drop off in form of the team as a whle? England previously made a big song and dance about their team ethic and unity of purpose and the effect that had on performances.
It would hardly be the first tie that backstage theatrics has ruined the show in cricket

Very good point - Pietersen might be inspired by the current situation, but others certainly aren't.

http://www.thealternativecricketalmanack.com/2012/08/kevin-pietersen-threatens-to-quit-twitter-may-have-tweeted-last-tweet/

LOL!

Ha! Tremendous.

cricinfo reports that the England selectors are pondering dropping Kevin Pietersen for the 3rd test.
I would be surprised if they choose to go that way, and I would most certainly want South Africa to rout one of my most favorite side in that case.
Of course Pietersen has had his more than fair share of mistakes, but the ECB is the custodian of the game in England, ensuring the wellbeing of English cricket is their job, and in that regard they have to make sure they retain the best players they have without affecting the team spirit. Rather than doing that, they engineered a leak/witch hunting campaign against him, and just like the men of power in West Indies cricket did to Chris Gayle, created a media mythology that targeted him.
If Pietersen's international career finishes off this way he would have enough years to look back and regret, but I am absolutely sure English cricket, in fact cricket as a game will be the greater loser in this situation.
You can't expect your players to be robots with the same style of behavior, cricketers are human, and human difference is something that should be united. The real quality and spirit of any collective is in bringing together individuals who are different for a shared goal without turning into regimented robots. ECB taking some coaching from the People's Republic of China or what?

Andy Flower and Robert Mugabe have become best of friends?

KP has officially committed to England in all forms of cricket. I for one am very pleased. Hopefully he hasn't burned too many bridges with team mates, support staff and supporters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiaZnXayjTQ

Pietersen has retracted a lot of things he said or demanded earlier and expressed his full commitment to playing for England in all formats. Hopefully that's the end of it and he'll be back to thrash the South Africans around yet again in the third test and beyond, and things are also worked out in the change room as well. Whosoever has worked it out at the managerial level, Strauss, Flower, Moris or anyone else at the ECB, well done and thanks,! the international cricket fraternity have become richer by this.

Hopefully that draws a line under it , and we can start talking about the cricket again .

Kenny wrote:Hopefully that draws a line under it , and we can start talking about the cricket again .

Perhaps it was decided to drop KP even before the end of the final day's play in the second test at Headingley. It does look now that KP has made this belated statement stating his availability to play in all forms of the game for England in the hope that he can force the ECB or the selectors to play him in the 3rd and final test V South Africa later this week.
However that hasn't fully worked out for him as he wished for, meaning that not only has he been dropped from this final test this summer, but I believe that KP will now turn around again and make a statement saying that he has finally decided to retire from all formats of the international game despite saying so otherwise this weekend.