Kevin Pietersen sacked

[Paul Lake's Left Knee]

KP gave me one of the best days of my life at the Oval in 2005 and for that I will always be thankful.
However it is probably the time to go, his knee means he struggles to cope with 5 days of cricket, especially when you spend most of it in the field like he has this winter. He can go and have a slog and an hour or two in the field in the IPL and earn a fortune, it's what he wanted and he hasn't lost face, in the fan's eyes.
As for the bullshit statement by Downton and the ECB, it is just that, if he was so bad and so disruptive, why have him back in the first place? The problem is they don't think he can be managed, he's got one of the best cricket brains in the team and he hasn't been included or asked for his advice. So he has had to speak up in team meetings by some accounts and those that can't handle that see it as divisive. So for Cook's fragile self worth we have binned the most talented batsman of his generation in a cowardly and gutless way. It does feel like the a90s when Gooch binned off Gower for similar circumstances. Seems the suits will never learn.

 

[without a dream]

Michael Vaughan never had a problem with him.

That's not really how I've taken his previous comments, he might have changed his tune though.

When he's commented on KP before he's said that you can manage him and explained how he did, the fact that he needed a special plan for KP points towrads him being a difficult player to manage. Vaughan was an exceptional captain though dealing with an emerging KP not one who's made millions of quid, been captain, had it taken off him and then all of the various bust ups since.

I think a better captain would have dealt with it but there's not an abundance of options.

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Shame that it has had to end this way.

KP is a driven individual who does put himself first, but when doing that it is also a benefit to the team. A core of players have never liked him. He was the last proper remnant of the Vaughan era - which was a team full of mavericks, Flintoff, Vaughan, Tescothick, Jones, Harmy - all these guys played their own natural games and were allowed to express themselves and were not vilified if they failed. It's a shame injuries hit them hard (esp Vaughan) after the 2005 Ashes. we may have seen further greatness from that team.

The new set up with Flower/Strauss and now Cook was all about discipline, to curb ones natural instincts yadda, yadda yadda. In a way they have tried to suffocate natural talent.

They have basically sent KP on his way on the field and in the dressing room - sticking him on the boundary or literally not involving him in any meetings etc.

The best way (in my opinion) would have been to give him responsibility (vice captain) that way you have him involved and thinking how to improve.

This England team has forgot how to score big over the last 3 years, they have relied heavily on the bowlers to get them out of trouble.

Good luck to KP - Love to see him at Lancs - (fat chance of that happening with Moores, Anderson et al)

he's ours goddammit, I hope we can convince to at least play a few County games in between his T20 commitments, unlikely though, he'll hopefully play T20 with us though.`

The three big calls that I said the ECB had to make (Cook, Flower and KP) they've made which is positive and decisive in itself and now they can move on and try and build a new team that will be united and as a result start delivering again with a harmonious dressing room.

KP can go off making millions as now teams can market him as being exclusive to them when he shows up for a T20 Comp and if Sky want to see him they'll have to pay the rights for the T20 stuff or put more Surrey on the TV, which is only a good thing :).

 

[jimbopm]

Michael Vaughan never had a problem with him.

That's not really how I've taken his previous comments, he might have changed his tune though.

When he's commented on KP before he's said that you can manage him and explained how he did, the fact that he needed a special plan for KP points towrads him being a difficult player to manage. Vaughan was an exceptional captain though dealing with an emerging KP not one who's made millions of quid, been captain, had it taken off him and then all of the various bust ups since.

I think a better captain would have dealt with it but there's not an abundance of options.

I'm just going off Michael Vaughan's twitter feed which is staunchly defending him.

At the end of the day Cricket is a team sport waged by individuals. Kevin Pietersen is an excellent batsman, above average fielder and part time twirler . He's also not afraid to speak his mind and probably called Cook out on some of his captaincy decisions which is what's gotten him in hot water. Having seen how Alistair Cook captains this team, I am not surprised somebody like KP has taken issue, i'm sure it still wrankles with him that he was sacked along with Peter Moores after 3 tests as captain and probably has his own ideas on what to do.

Ultimately until the ECB, Pietersen himself or someone else with an inside knowledge of the situation comes out and explains the reason for his sacking, then I will feel like Englands best batsman of the last 20 years has been dealt with unfairly.

 

[bernabias home shirt]

Goughs going for it on talksport,tbf though he and everyone else just wants to know the reason KP has been sacked,surely now the ECB have to come out & give their reason

Piers Morgan having go at Prior now and they are having a set two on twatter,Adrian durhams loving it...

 

[AntiUnited]

I dont know wtf is going on. But the drama on talk sport now lol

 

[neel]

may be we will see more of this
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfICYU8hDhY[/youtube]

 

[RandomJ]

I normally hate Piers Morgan but I hate to say I'm agreeing with a lot of what he is saying on Twitter. Pietersen was supposedly sacked so England could look to the future but that's complete bollocks as how come Prior, Anderson and the other ageing players have not been dumped to make way for the kids? And I'd also understand if there was a batsman who was even half as talented as Pietersen trying to break into the team but there really isn't so who the fuck is going to replace him as well. This all stinks of Cook being a fanny who didn't like having his shite captaincy questioned by a guy who knows more about it than he does so went crying to the ECB to have him removed from the team. They can't even use the divisive stuff as Swann himself said he had been much better since being reintroduced into the team. And the fact the ECB are not even giving examples of why Pietersen had to go shows this as one big conspiracy to get rid of a player who didn't toe the ECB yes man line.

 

[without a dream]

I normally hate Piers Morgan but I hate to say I'm agreeing with a lot of what he is saying on Twitter. Pietersen was supposedly sacked so England could look to the future but that's complete bollocks as how come Prior, Anderson and the other ageing players have not been dumped to make way for the kids? And I'd also understand if there was a batsman who was even half as talented as Pietersen trying to break into the team but there really isn't so who the fuck is going to replace him as well. This all stinks of Cook being a fanny who didn't like having his shite captaincy questioned by a guy who knows more about it than he does so went crying to the ECB to have him removed from the team. They can't even use the divisive stuff as Swann himself said he had been much better since being reintroduced into the team. And the fact the ECB are not even giving examples of why Pietersen had to go shows this as one big conspiracy to get rid of a player who didn't toe the ECB yes man line.

It really doesn't.

At the end of the day if KP is a divisive figure in the dressing room he has to go or you have to get rid of the group of players who can't work with him. The decision has been made time to move on. If you judge a man by the company he keeps Piers cunting Morgan is doing KP no favours.

 

[RandomJ]

I normally hate Piers Morgan but I hate to say I'm agreeing with a lot of what he is saying on Twitter. Pietersen was supposedly sacked so England could look to the future but that's complete bollocks as how come Prior, Anderson and the other ageing players have not been dumped to make way for the kids? And I'd also understand if there was a batsman who was even half as talented as Pietersen trying to break into the team but there really isn't so who the fuck is going to replace him as well. This all stinks of Cook being a fanny who didn't like having his shite captaincy questioned by a guy who knows more about it than he does so went crying to the ECB to have him removed from the team. They can't even use the divisive stuff as Swann himself said he had been much better since being reintroduced into the team. And the fact the ECB are not even giving examples of why Pietersen had to go shows this as one big conspiracy to get rid of a player who didn't toe the ECB yes man line.

It really doesn't.

At the end of the day if KP is a divisive figure in the dressing room he has to go or you have to get rid of the group of players who can't work with him. The decision has been made time to move on. If you judge a man by the company he keeps Piers cunting Morgan is doing KP no favours.

Except Swann said he hasn't been divisive since he came back into the set up after the text scandal so there is obviously some other reason behind this.