Kevin Pietersen, one of the world's great batsmen, is clearly at a crossroads in his career. He cannot make a run, he wants to go home to see his wife after her third place in the televised ice dancing competition and whatever he says brings him a storm of abuse.
Three months ago he was the England captain but before he had the chance to settle down he has to resign. The details remain clouded in mystery. What would KP do if, say, he was a footballer? My guess is that he would ask for a transfer. That is not an option for a cricketer.
Things they are a-changing. If Pietersen can play for England why should he not play for another country? Surely he ought to be available for South Africa, the land of his birth. It requires a little lateral thinking from ICC and all the national boards but it would solve a lot of problems. Graeme Hick, 42, but still as fit as ever, might win a player-coach job with Zimbabwe to their benefit.
The way forward may be through the IPL who could give Pietersen a longer contract as an ambassador for their brand. ICC could make it possible for him to coach and captain one of their lesser teams - Namibia, the UEA, Holland.
Meanwhile he has unfinished business with England who will be able to field both KP and their other in-and-out hero Andrew Flintoff in the fifth and decisive one-day match in St.Lucia on Friday.
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Monday 30 March 2009
Why Cardiff?
100 days to go: That is until the start of the Ashes series in - yes, you had better believe it - Cardiff, the home of Welsh Rugby, er, Glamorgan County Cricket Club and without a Test match to its name until the Welsh came up with a stack of money.
Irresistible to the England and WALES Cricket Board. It has been know as the ECB for the last decade or so but, hey, they are now proud of their Welsh Heritage. Not a Welshman in the current England side either but that need not worry us. Perhaps Kevin Pietersen has a Welsh ancestor somewhere in his background.
The sweet smell of success could hardly be fainter even though England won in Barbados last night. It was one of their two "victories" this winter; the other followed the inability of John Dyson, the West Indies coach, to interpret Duckworth or Lewis.
(Look you - which is a very Welsh way of speaking - the last Welsh captain of England was Tony Lewis. Of course he is no relation to the Lewis who invented the mathematical way of deciding one-day matches it just shows that there is a good reason for holding the match in Wales.
Apart from the money, that is.
By the way - and I shall be counting down these days too - the number of days to the end of the Ashes match is 147.
Irresistible to the England and WALES Cricket Board. It has been know as the ECB for the last decade or so but, hey, they are now proud of their Welsh Heritage. Not a Welshman in the current England side either but that need not worry us. Perhaps Kevin Pietersen has a Welsh ancestor somewhere in his background.
The sweet smell of success could hardly be fainter even though England won in Barbados last night. It was one of their two "victories" this winter; the other followed the inability of John Dyson, the West Indies coach, to interpret Duckworth or Lewis.
(Look you - which is a very Welsh way of speaking - the last Welsh captain of England was Tony Lewis. Of course he is no relation to the Lewis who invented the mathematical way of deciding one-day matches it just shows that there is a good reason for holding the match in Wales.
Apart from the money, that is.
By the way - and I shall be counting down these days too - the number of days to the end of the Ashes match is 147.
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