The (hopefully) final Kevin Pietersen thread

[kingraf]

Right then. Seems we can't go a test without discussing Pietersen. His axing seems to have completely polarised the forum. So let's have at it here, shall we? No need to turn the whole summer into a KP soap opera.

Sometimes, when I can't make a decision I tabulate a pros and cons list... To move this forward, here's KP's pros and cons...

Pros:
-He's a maverick
-He can take the game away
-He's normally good for at least one good knock a series
-He was still the best English batsman in the Ashes
- He helps the junior players
- He wants to come back
- He's absolutely hammering ECB at the media game. Bringing him back, might end the demolition.
- Maybe he won't release his "tell all" book if he comes back.
- He puts bums on seats
- He can usurp Cook as captain

Cons
- He's a maverick
- He's normally good for only one good knock a series
- He doesn't get along with authority
- Cook stuck his neck out for him in India, and 12 months later, wanted no part of him... surely a smoking gun?
- He gets out in stupid ways
- Cook is a better batsman than him, and if ECB had to pick one, they'll always pick Cook.
- He isn't even playing first class cricket at the moment.
- His body is quite clearly failing him.
- He isn't good for anything past one Ashes, or at a push, a swansong in South Africa. Hardly one for the future.
- A captain removing a star player he couldn't trust or impose himself on is not without precedent (Smith- Klusenar, Clarke-Katich).
- I mean come on, does anybody not believe that he's probably a douchebag?
- Most importantly, does England really even miss him? Even with the special, precocious KP, England went about 15 tests without scoring 400. They've now done it twice in four tests, with every first innings score surpassing 300.

Discuss... Or don't, long as this doesn't come up again.