Should Kevin Pietersen ever captain England again?

Tim Meston

"I feel I've got unfinished business as captain of England - I definitely feel that. But right now, I feel it is right for me to go back and just play - to do something that I love, which is scoring runs for England." - Kevin Pietersen, News of the World.

Can't believe your eyes? Well, the former England captain has moved to defend himself after starring in one of the most turbulent weeks in English cricket history.

Pietersen has revealed how he was told by Hugh Morris, the managing director of England, that his resignation as skipper had been accepted even though he hadn't tendered it. He claims that all he had done was to tell the ECB, in an e-mail about his vision for the team, that he couldn't work with coach Peter Moores.

Dennis Amiss, the ECB vice-chairman, has stated that Pietersen did not go public in his row with Moores. Interestingly though, Amiss mentioned that sacking Peter Moores "wasn't on the [board's] agenda" until the row with Pietersen surfaced.

So what do we make of Pietersen's claims to a return to the England captaincy? Has his behaviour stopped him from ever leading his country again or is he a victim of poor management by the ECB? Have your say.

Comments

[Punit]

The way the Brits turn on Johnny Foreigner is pretty predictable. He is an arrogant so-and-so, but we all knew that before he was appointed. Plus, he could actually back that arrogance up, unlike Gatting for instance.

He went about his problems with Moores badly, but nowhere near as badly as the ECB; the actual source of the leak and so, the problem. Had it remained behind closed doors, no-one would care.

As long as the ECB can't muster a pair of stones between them, there is no point in his ever being Captain again. Stick your favourite yes-man in there and spin the line that he's a "safe pair of hands."

[gavin Smitsdrop]

Why would you want a strutting vacuous peacock as your posterboy for English sport?

[Carole]

No reason for him to not have another opportunity to be Captain. It seems to me the problem is more with the set-up & regime of the E.C.B. What a shower !!

[Imti Deen]

KP should never be allowed to captain England again! He may be a good player, but he has no people skills, and comes across arrogant. He tries to cover this up, and says so in interviews, but he looked an angry man when he was fired. Well done ECB for standing their ground.

[Andre]

No, he should not, well, even if you offer, he will not accept, the reason being that this whole drama is all part of a devious South African plan to destroy cricket in the old country. KP is (and has been since he arrived in the UK a South African mole !! All his negative press about South Africa is typical mole behaviour. He has been sent here to destroy England cricket. And then the ECB fall for the final SA coup – appoint another South African as captain!!! Are they blind?!?!? Here is what will happen: Just before the ashes, Strauss will insist that he become the one and only selector of the team, if not he will resign……

[Rod Baker]

No.

[Denis Cafferty Clermont Florida]

It's not about his ability as a potential ashes winning captain or being the worlds best number 4 bat, you can't beat the establishment, I wonder who felt threatened enough to leak his naive ultimatum ?

[mike moore]

I hope KP is reinstated for the next tour of Australia. We down under are looking forward to him opening the batting, then the bowling, coming on as first change and then, later, to add a bit of spin. We are mystified, however, as to how he will keep wickets to himself, unless, of course, his ego can slip on the gloves. Mike Moore, Hervey Bay, Queensland.

[Manafu from Port Villa]

This is ridiculous! Most embarrassing moment ever for the ECB. If those muppets have no sense as to what is the right direction of the game or for the team, then they should simply step down. We all somewhat agree that this master piece of comedic drama falls in line with events that echo from the management styles of chop and change of the Pakistan, Indian or Sri Lanka Cricket Boards. Not to mention, even Cricket Australia to some extent.

[Michael]

The ECB should resign , I think every one agress on this .

KP would be made Captain again , I am sure of this . Andrew Strauss is a good bloke but not fit to be captain. We need a leader with a vision and a passion to win. KP fits the bill and he is the future if we want to combat the mighty three , Ausies , South Africans and the Indians .

[thedrunkmonk]

hmm, how does one put this? KP is an Ar*eh*le.
A good cricketer he may be but as a captain he is not.

Just look at his record. He is not a truly loyal person. He left South Africa because he coundnt have it his own way and then did the same to his county side.

He is a South African for Petes sake. At least Strauss has been here longer.

I cannot really understand the public adoration of him. I see photos everywhere of him and his advetising endorsments makes it seem like he just landed the role for James Bond
England are so desperate to have a competitive handsome captain that they are actually blinded and think he is the saving grace.

[geoffrey elderfield]

Firstly the 4 at the ECB should resign
New committee, appoint a new coach
an ex-test cricketer,bring back Pietersen should Straus make a pig's ear of the job
When Straus was appointed to the ODI squad, who was omitted?
Would Jardine have suffered these fools?

[Chris P]

I'm beginning to tire of KP. He blames everyone else for having to leave South Africa, he blames everyone else for having to leave Nottinghamshire, now he blames everyone else that he had to resign the England captaincy. This is the same KP who was suffering from burnout, having played too much cricket until the IPL/ICL came along and suddenly he wanted to play a whole lot more. I'm surprised that anyone takes notice of what he has to say any more.

Meanwhile, isn't it time that English sport in general realises that the best player is not necessarily the best leader. In fact, this is very rarely the case, but all too often forgotten when new captains are appointed.

[Strop]

Quite right. pietersen should never have been made captain. That honour should only ever be held by an Englishman like Str........ oh.

[Peter McGuinness]

In keeping with Alex's excellent observations about cricket selections and administrations in general, it would be remiss of me not to add the once superb - but now buffoon riddled - CA to the list.

Granted, it is not possible to upstage the ECB in the comedic mismanagement stakes. But CA is now right up there. A Chairman of Selectors who doesn't see too many games, or talk to too many players, is a fine start in the long haul toward overtaking the ECB for incompetence.

Figjam may have been a bad choice, but St George himself would be overwhelmed by controversy and back-biting in no less than 134 days as captain of England. The task is demonstrably impossible.

[Mrs Slocum]

Mr Pietersen is an extraordinarily arrogant young man. Although this doesn't make him unattractive in an animalistic sense, I'm afraid my pussy would be a far more sensible, unifying choice as captain of our cricket team.

[Tony Eaton]

The way the ECB has messed around with the most exciting batting talent England has had for years brings to mind Will Carling's comment about the "57 old farts" who ran English rugby in his time. Could this lot manage their way out of a paper bag? For the sake of cricket-lovers everywhere, let us hope that KP is ECB-proof.

[Brian I Jones]

Yes, he certainly should be re-appointed at some point in the future. He would make a very good captain and I think it tragic that he has had such a short reign. The behaviour of the ECB has been appalling and I strongly suspect that they completely misjudged KP's mind set. He is by far the most concientious Test cricketer in the team which is coupled with a very determined mind as to how things should be done. The ECB must have known this when they appointed him so why should it come as a surprise when he revolted against a manager with whom he had no rapport.His antipathy to Moores was known before he had even accepted the captaincy so I find the ECB's position two-faced and thoroughly unprofessional over their handling of the whole affair. KP shouldn't go but the four senior ECB members should all resign for incompetent behaviour.

[Som]

Mark my words, a crouching ECB, tail tucked between legs, would revert back to KP, begging him to take over the captaincy reigns again. Poor Strauss, I don't see his honeymoon period stretchuing beyond Ashes. He is a nice guy but just not captaincy material. And making him ODI captain is a move which is less ridiculous only to Lee Germon's debut as the skipper.
Don't get me wrong, KP is no saint either. But the reality is, England does not have another decent option. KP's 'either-me-or-him' ultimatum was the height of arrogance but ECB bungled it big time by making him quit. KP should have been cut down to size but still persisted with.
I think KP has realised his folly and hence sending out feeler that he is game for another shot at captaincy. Silly lad.

[Juveria Patel]

The Ecb will be on their knees asking KP to bcome captain again after the West Indies tour. He is the only one on the England Team who can lead the team to challenge for first place in the world. He is dynamic dashing and can lead from the front. Teams need young blood as captains to compete look at India and how it is thriving under the captaincy of MSD. ECB has made a huge mistake by asking KP to step down.

[Dave Totnes]

Never say never! On that basis KP could well captain England again, BUT, firstly, Strauss will have to fail despite having had Pietersen's full support on and off the field; by then the latter will need to be far more mature, more politically astute, will have far fewer demands as to who he wants to work with, and he will not have a shopping list of old mates he wants on the payroll or in the team. A cricket team needs a captain not an El Supremo.

[Alex]

As an Indian who has been living in UK for ~ 15 years, I have been watching the whole saga from both angles.

The story is too unreal even for a Bollywood movie-a mediocre tribe allows a brash cocky foreigner to be 'one of them'; sings his praises when he wins for his new brothers the ultimate prize [ashes];lets emotion rule their head by making this Sir Lancelot their King Arthur; doubts him when he wants them to get even better; brothers turn into Brutuses; and in a chilling climax, the whole tribe commits mass suicide!

I always thought that Mohinder Amarnath's comment that the selectors are a bunch of fools was an eternal fact/statment on the way Indian cricket was run but hey, our old ''colonial companions'' are even better. They make Indian cricket run by BCCI look like a well run German company!

[eugene]

ECB have made a mess,as they always do.They KNEW Pietersen wasn't keen on Moores when Moores was appointed,but still did it.It seems the ECB also overstated the "supposed rift " in the camp,to back their bungling handling of the matter.They will miss the KP's strong willed approach when the Aussies are in town,...too late then.

[mr grainger]

Personally I think he could make a decent captain again, as greater wisdom in man-management comes with the years. But, of course, it would take a brave selector to make such a decision - and most of our selectors are not brave. Foolhardy, perhaps, but not brave. One thing arising from the Pietersen saga, however, is that someone, somewhere, must be telling some porkies.

[Wim Vonk]

Pietersen should never have been appointed captain in the first place. It is the ECB that looks foolish. It is seldom that the ECB gets anything right. Frankly I don't know how you straighten out English cricket with them around. I can go back to 1948 when they made bad decisions. That's when the dropped Hutton.