KP - England career over

First topic message reminder :

"@bbctms: Reports suggesting Kevin Pietersen will NOT be selected for West Indies tour and World T20. Expecting ECB statement shortly #bbccricket

http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/statement-kevin-pietersen

As that statement underlines, his career with England is done.

Discuss away, I'm sure this will be a hot topic...

alfie wrote:From what I have seen of KP's "revelations" , the only thing that can't be disputed is that by late 2013 it was clear Pietersen couldn't work with Flower (or Prior) . And we also learn that he couldn't work with Moores (which I guess we aways knew anyway) .  He could - sort of - get on with Cook (though not Strauss ) and he was ok with the bowlers even though he thought they were destroying team morale...

I am quite surprised that few have picked up his contradiction about the bowlers.

Strangely, he seems happy to be part of a team which contains that nasty Broad and Anderson, but couldn't be in a team - if the no more nastier Swann and Prior were there

Oh hang on a minute!! The former two are very much part of the set up, so he's best be conciliatory towards them and the latter, who are unlikely to play for England again can go to the wolves

He's obviously such an excellent communicator though - I really can't see why he has so many misunderstandings

When Pietersen was first jettisoned I was disappointed/angry for him as he's a fine player.

But all this mud throwing has changed my mind. ECB should ban him from any professional cricket in England.

For reasons unknown to myself, I went and bought the book today. I'm only about a third through, but genuinely all the ECB had to do was keep quiet. I may be slightly biased, but KP is just coming across as whiney and paranoid. This book would have been the worst PR possible for him, if the ECB had just kept quiet.

A personal highlight so far is KP's sense of injustice that the ECB wouldn't let him go home between Tests in the West Indies to see his wife because she couldn't come out due to Dancing on Ice commitments. The horrors. Strauss is singled out particularly for being a doos, as he owed KP because KP decided to try his hardest for England that tour. What a top bloke. KP had to make do with hiring a private villa for all his friends and family (barring 1/5 of Liberty X) to come and stay in, it's tough not to empathise.

I will say though, that Alastair Cook gets my respect for seeing through what has been a tumultuous 2014. I think he'd be most disappointed that the wolf he implored the ECB to take back has proceeded to then devour him in such a public manner. Worst of all. KP didn't even play that well under Cook in any case, so I can imagine him asking himself if it was worth it.

I've never played for a cricket team which didn't have "cliques". I suspect it's completely natural and part of human nature. The better teams manage the cliques better, or have players mentally strong enough to handle not being part of the cool kids. Seems England didn't. It's an autobiography, and one which happens very soon after the fact, so I suspect some of Kp's feelings have been amplified. Still, he does come off as a doos, and the English team and cricketing culture does come across as rather pathetic honestly, if players, professional paid players who have made it all the way to the highest levels can't bear the thought of having someone shout at them because of a miss field. Bless your poor souls. Points to a kid gloves approach coming up the ranks. Which probably explains why so many of our kids can field at international standards from the get go, while it seems to take English talent a little longer to not drop dollies and dive over the balls.

I always said given the star-worship-culture...he is a natural fit in the subcontinent

http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/231299-kevin-pietersen-salutes-rahul-dravid-in-autobiography?pfrom=home-cricket

London: Maverick England batsman Kevin Pietersen struggled to get along with coaches of his own team most of his playing career and his quest for a "genuine guru" ended in faraway India where, he says, former captain Rahul Dravid made a lasting impact on his technique.

In his autobiography 'KP' released here this week, Pietersen refers repeatedly to an e-mail the Indian batting legend wrote to him about playing spinners which made a massive difference to him.
"Rahul was a great and heroic Indian batsman in his day. He is also a genius at dealing with spin bowlers. Our conversations and emails were a private masterclass from a genuine guru," Pietersen writes in the book. (Also read: Kevin Pietersen's Book has Tarnished England: Alastair Cook)
"Rahul improved my cricket and helped me develop the way I think about the game. His generosity will stay with me always."
In the email quoted by Pietersen, Dravid refers to him as a "champ" and goes on to give him a pep talk: "KP, you are a really good player, you need to watch the ball and trust yourself... Don't let anyone tell you that you can't play spin, I have seen you and you can!"

Pietersen wrote that he often reads this particular email and it beings a smile to his face.
"My playing of spin has gone up a number of levels since I've spent time in the IPL, and in particular, since I've spoken to Rahul Dravid...In England, batsmen get taught to play with the spin against spin bowlers. In India, the best players of spin get taught to play against it," he adds.
The South African-born cricketer has created a stir among the England cricket establishment with claims of bullying within the English dressing room, led by the then coach Andy Flower.
It has led to England captain Alastair Cook accusing him of tarnishing a successful era for the squad.
In his autobiography, Pietersen is outspoken about the unfriendliness of his teammates and is all praise for the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the "adrenalin rush" and bonding atmosphere.
"The IPL is the future... I could talk about money and the IPL all day to you, but for the friendships alone I would play for free," says the Delhi Daredevils player.
"I've built all my relationships with foreign cricketers while in the IPL. That doesn't help in the England dressing room... there are not many of those friendships," he adds.
Pietersen also claims the general culture towards the game of cricket is better in the sub-continent and describes Indian players as "free spirits" who truly love cricket.
"There is a culture in India that appreciates if you double down and go for the big shot. It's a game of cricket, not economics. Not life or death. Take a risk. IPL crowds don't want to see you batting out singles as you pick and choose which balls to hit. Life is too short," he writes.
Pietersen's England team career effectively ended in February this year when his central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was terminated.
In the book, he expresses a desire to return to Test cricket and says he would "jump at the chance" to play for England again.
But IPL is where he seems to have found his true home: "The IPL is professionalism taken to its logical extreme. All the cowpat and hypocrisy have been turned off."