India will open its arms to KP

Presumably the ECB are working on a "vision" document for winning back the Ashes. Australian cricket is at its lowest ebb for a generation, and many fancied England's chances of winning back the urn. So, the best way to go about it? Upset the only world-class batsman you have to such an extent that he resigns the captaincy. When it comes to bungling, those that run English cricket can still make the Football Association - who hired second-choice Steve - look good.

As rumours abound that Kevin Pietersen might not even tour the Caribbean, February and the next IPL auction is just a month away. If Pietersen does feel that he was sold down the river by those in authority, and let down by his team-mates, what price a full season in the IPL? There would be a stampede for his signature, with the $1.5 million that the Chennai Super Kings paid for Mahendra Singh Dhoni likely to be eclipsed.

Most people in India can't fathom the distinctly lukewarm attitude to Pietersen, especially from sections of the British media. With all due respect to Andrew Flintoff, Pietersen is by some distance England's most valuable player. Without him, the chances of regaining the Ashes are as slim as Ian Bell becoming the next Brian Lara.

If Pietersen has lost the dressing room, that would be quite a staggering turnaround. When the team journeyed back to India after the terror attacks in Mumbai, word was that it was Pietersen who had coaxed and cajoled everyone into doing what he felt was the right thing. Whether it had something to do with IPL carrots is immaterial. England's return was something to celebrate, a real victory for the game.

If there are players who preferred Peter Moores to Pietersen, you can only hazard guesses as to their state of mind. One man is destined to be an all-time great - he has 15 centuries from 45 Tests, a rate bettered only by Bradman - while the other can point only to a resume of underachievement. Only one of the eight Test wins Moores presided over as coach came against a top side - and that was a dead rubber against South Africa. Choose mediocrity over excellence. Smart choice, lads.

Pietersen will be more than welcome wherever he chooses to ply his trade in India. He stock couldn't be higher after the recent series, and those switch-hits and nonchalant lofts over the leg side will have the crowds baying for more each time he walks out to bat. If this latest ECB cock-up does drive Pietersen towards the IPL, it'll be hard to wipe the Cheshire-Cat grin off Lalit Modi's face. The mother of all auctions awaits.

Comments

[Punit]

a ha. Oh dear, Poonam - we've been rumbled.

[Pav]

Poonam and Punit this is no place to air your marital disagreements.

[Poonam]

@ Punit

"Where did you get the impression that I think T20 won't change cricket? I haven't ever said that"

You haven't. What I am saying is that it will change, for better or worse. Better for players, better for the fans but perhaps to the detriment of international test cricket.

"If there are young, talented kids training purely for T20, that is an issue which cricket needs to deal with. Is that insurmountable?"

"Stick a 5 year old in front of a T20 game, and s/he can grow to love Test cricket. Stick a 5 year old in front of a 5 day match and watch them look for something else to do"

Tell me about it. Being only girls in my family I begged my father to take me to a cricket game. He took me. I had an icecream and begged to go home because it was sooo boring! I wanted to see the men in the exciting colours playing with a white ball.

When I first saw T20 I was excited by the razzle-dazzle. I can't blame the 5 year olds loving T20. It's fast, exciting, it's a spectacle.

"Hoping against hope that cricket can survive without innovation is what's naive"

True. Innovation keeps things moving. All I am saying, is that long term I can see T20 will change international test cricket. It already took a major hit when 1 day cricket took the world by storm. Whether it will survive the IPL it remains to be seen...

Not that I care... I don't care much for cricket really. haha :-)

[Punit]

@Poonam

Where did you get the impression that I think T20 won't change cricket? I haven't ever said that.

If there are young, talented kids training purely for T20, that is an issue which cricket needs to deal with. Is that insurmountable?

Stick a 5 year old in front of a T20 game, and s/he can grow to love Test cricket. Stick a 5 year old in front of a 5 day match and watch them look for something else to do.

Hoping against hope that cricket can survive without innovation is what's naive.

[Punit]

@Manafu

I would suggest that if the IPL were an Aussie or English event, the negativity around it wouldn't be so great.

I agree with much of the article, but I come back to the point that the cricket calendar is a long one; IPL takes up a relatively short part of it. To me, it comes down to simple scheduling, which should not be impossible to figure out.

What is the alternative? To ignore T20? To wish it away? What then happens to Test and ODI cricket?

[Poonam]

Actually Punit - David Warner was selected to play for the Delhi Daredevils before his debut for Australia in the first T20 match against South Africa earlier this week. So it has happened, and it will continue. IPL will poach young talent before they can debut for their countries - it's happening right now! I agree with Manafu - who can blame them?

We have young, talented kids here that are training themselves SOLELY for T20 so they can play primarily in the IPL.

You can't tell me that long term IPL will not change the way cricket is played and loved all over the world. It has, and it will. If you can't see this happening then you must be incredibly naive.

[Manafu from Port Villa]

To Punit:

I read this article today in OZ, an interesting point about the IPL and it's impact on Cricket Australia:

Australia players to get the green light to play in the IPL
By Ben Dorries

January 15, 2009 AUSTRALIA will not ban any of their top players from raking in Indian Premier League big bucks this year - despite a growing injury toll which has now claimed half the team.

But former South African batting great Barry Richards believes Cricket Australia has its hands tied because it would face a massive player backlash and even possible retirements if it prevented its stars from going to the IPL.

"Today's players can't get their hands on the dollars quick enough ... they are like kids in a lolly shop," Richards said.

"If Cricket Australia banned players from going to the IPL there would be a huge outcry from the players.

"I reckon it would be possible a few of them would even say they would retire.

"Administrators don't want to get the players offside so I am sure a lot of them will be playing in the IPL again."

Cricket's cash-versus-country issue is set to flare again with the IPL in April becoming a huge point of contention in a heavyweight year which includes tours of South Africa and the Ashes in England.

Australia are in the midst of a major injury crisis with Brett Lee (ankle), Andrew Symonds (knee), Shane Watson (back) and Peter Siddle (foot) all sidelined.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke (thumb) is in doubt for the start of the one-day international series while skipper Ricky Ponting continues to manage niggling wrist and back complaints.

With the Ashes the No.1 priority in 2009, Australia are likely to come under heavy pressure to prevent their star players from playing in the hit-and-giggle IPL.

Chances are Australia's players will be available for the 20-over tournament, due to be staged after the three-Test tour of South Africa in February and March.

[Punit]

@Manafu

I agree that very highly paid sports can ruin international sports. Certainly, the English Premier League and Champions League seem more important to some football players than representing their countries. That's a very sad situation, but the EPL takes up most of the year - the IPL is a few short weeks. For a player to regarded as a valuable commodity in the IPL, he needs to be proving it year-round in domestic and international games of a more "traditional" nature. I'm not saying you're wholly wrong - there real dangers you're right to point out and which must be heeded, but I also think some of the anti-IPL sentiment we read about is overblown and based on jealousy.

Some of your assumptions are pretty wild, though. Symonds has a drink problem; predating his time in the IPL and not caused by the IPL. He has demons which we shouldn't be glib about nor try and diagnose with a "money is the root of all evil" approach.

Lee is out of form and unfit. He needs to regain fitness and form and that comes from training and playing. Some are saying that he lost a lot of weight in India due to illness/food. I don't know if that's the case, but I do regard him as a model pro and don't believe he would throw his career away. I don't know about Bollywood models and such, but if he's in a tryst, good luck to him.

So, your point about younger players perhaps not being motivated to play for their countries is two-fold:
1. Indian players - fair point, but again, the season is too short to build a career around. Players will not get noticed unless they play year round for a more established team in order to even catch a franchise's eye. Anyone who chooses IPL over a Test career probably doesn't have the mentality to succeed in Test cricket anyway.
2. Young, non-Indian players currently not playing international cricket won't even make it into the IPL so it's a non-issue. If they choose to only play a few weeks of the year, in the IPL, where will they practise? I can't see it happening.

There are things wrong with T20, but it's a new format which can get better. It's not better than Test cricket, but even in "cricket mad" India, where are the crowds for test matches? T20 got my 60 year old mother interested in cricket - she has never watched a game before, finding it dull, but T20 got her hooked. Now she asks how India are doing in ODIs and Tests. It can open the door to "real" cricket for kids, too. Otherwise, cricket dies on its ass, I'm afraid.

Even the hopeless and pointless Stanford Series got the Windies excited about cricket. Something which even the World Cup couldn't do before.

The circus is in town, but it's not all bad.

[Manafu from Port Villa]

To Punit,

Sure, the 'circus' will breed a cross-pollination of good ideas but at the same time you can't ignore the fact money talks. Naturally, the players will be less inclined and motivated to take up international duties given the lottery of cash being thrown at them. Does the thought of representing your nation in international cricket still outweigh the benefits of being lured into IPL? I wouldn't blame them for taking up these offers - IPL are throwing more cash at these guys could ever dream of making if playing solely in the international scene. We already know how the county scene has impacted the english system and no doubt, if this circus format kicks off I have little doubt it will create a void in the international scene of good quality cricket.

As for my view on ‘Corruption’, It's hard to ignore the recent events surrounding Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee, for example. This may be an observation only but ask yourself this question why is it that Andrew Symonds is a shadow of himself in the Intl Scene since his return from the IPL and has been involved in various negative off field dramas?...I’d say he does not care about his image on the public because he’s found career in the IPL and he’s loaded up with cash. Why has Brett Lee relinquished himself from all Intl duties till the Ashes but has publicly admitted to be available to play in the IPL?….Let me guess...more likely, he's dating a hot bollywood model???

Of course, the IPL will churn a lot of young and energetic players but how motivated will they be to take up the intl scene for less cash? I am hoping the circus platform will eventually make the one dayers a lot more competitive and intense. However, let's face it, a player like David Warner, if he chose to, can have a decent living off the IPL and the county scene.

Also, quote me if I am wrong, a wonderful trait of the 'Circus' is that purists like us can predict 9 out 10 the outcome of the game within the 1st 10 overs of the slog fest. Sorry, I'd rather watch people play marbles.

[Punit]

"We can all agree this has corrupted some of the best players in the world to a significant level."

I can't Manafu. The IPL is a relatively short season. Players will reture when they don't want to play anymore, not when they want to play IPL. Ex-test players have little value if they're not playing year-round. If there has been a rash of retirements coinciding with the IPL, I would see it as a golden watch/swansong rather than a corruption.

Let's also take a look at the positive element of the IPL - all these players from test nations playing side by side has brought about some cross-pollination of good ideas. The Rajasthan players have learned a lot from a great Captain/Coach and long may it continue.

[Manafu from Port Villa]

IPL has been successful thus far in recruiting Andrew Symonds, Nathan Astle, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Jacob Oram, Brett Lee....the list goes on. Some of these players timed their retirement perfectly to cash on the lucrative baits offered by IPL. We can all agree this has corrupted some of the best players in the world to a significant level. My bet is KP will eventually succumb to the dark side. Sure Shane Warne will probably have a word about his future too.

[petermorris]

with only a minutes thought Gavaskar 19 tons after 45 tests
clyde walcott 15 tons after 41 tests
Everton Weekes 15 tons after 44 test
KP scored his 15th ton in his 45th test so hes down to 4th place already also none of these batsmen and the vast majority of other greats (Viv richards lost 2 years at his peak to Packer) had an opportunity to play so many tests as KP will at his peak (14 per year for another 6 to 7 years)

[Sameer Gupta]

Strange, I thought that the IPL rules state that no international player can play in the IPL without the blessing of their home cricket board. If KP refuses to tour WI, then the ECB can refuse him permission to play in the IPL. And there is absolutely no way he is going to get more money than what CSK paid for MS Dhoni.

[Sandip Roy]

i think KP is much more positive & cool headed captain.if he will get a chance in the IPL he must be proved himself.

Sandip Roy http://sportygallery.blogspot.com

[Alex]

DP-usually your articles make sense and offer a balanced view, but not this one.
As an Indian cricket fan,living in UK for 15 year,I can see the situation from both angles. Yes, he is England's MVP and is the one that our cricket crazy fans are dying to see. [however it's Freddie the bowler who scares me more than KP the batter when we play England!].KP's immense talent and potential to become one of the all-time greats of the game does not give him the right to treat his fellow professionals like this. But then I have no symapthy for England or ECB either as they should have known better. This man came to England only because he fell out with his own country. If after playing for 4 years in IPL, he is offered Indian citizenship and a chance to play for India, who knows he may accept that as well! After all the money in cricket nowadays is in India?

[Punit]

Getting back onto the thread, I just heard Tony Greig's podcast where he said that he has no time for coaches who do not bow down to a captain's wishes. Tony clearly knows a lot more about cricket than I ever will, but I wonder if this approach is perhaps an old-fashioned one which still has relevance in the modern game. Can a Captain be expected to be the main man on and off the field in a sport which now comes with so many pressures and where there is effectively no off-season. Are there any players who can do that job, 24-7?

Evidence shows that the pressures of captaining one's national team are immense and can seriously hamper a player's own form and indeed family life, leading to a vicious cycle. Do we expect the Captain to really take all of this on, without a support structure, around and above him? To me, this seems unfeasible.

I don't believe one can, or even should, bring total transparency to every decision-making process, but the current structure seems to leave the Coach and Captain high and dry, even though many decisions are made by anonymous blazers behind closed doors. It amazed me when I heard on the radio that KP "probably wouldn't even recognise the faces of the men deciding his future" on Radio 5 recently. Is English cricket run by the freemasons?

[Punit]

I have to admit, the incongruity of Mez's argument has me stunned.

[Pav]

Mez are you for real? The situation in SA is now worse than during apartheid? Maybe for bigots like you it is, just be thankful SA does not have its own Mugabe.

[Homer]

"If this latest ECB cock-up does drive Pietersen towards the IPL, it'll be hard to wipe the Cheshire-Cat grin off Lalit Modi's face. The mother of all auctions awaits." - wont happen.

And it has nothing to do with the South African Mercenary(tm) flakiness or lack of loyalty.

The ECB and the BCCI are finally getting around to seeing each others point of view. And with Sri Lanka and Pakistan going rogue on the BCCI in the ICC Cricket Australia and the ECB are the BCCI's newest best friends. And the BCCI will do nothing to rock that boat. And now more than ever they wont play ball with KP as Sharad Pawar is poised to become the ICC President.

KP is not important enough for the BCCI to shoot itself in the foot.

Cheers,

[Ian]

Word is that Pietersen convinced everyone to go back to India? I wonder who put that word out?

Should never have been made captain, that is the only error the ECB made. Oh, and appointing Moores, the numbers man, anyone can do that, to a certain extent, but this is international sport.

KP is a marvellous player, and critical to any success the England team may yield, but that doesn't make him all-important, and makes him quite the opposite of a good captain. Lara-esq. I just hope he gets his head down and concentrates on playing for - his adopted - country. As after all it isn't team ECB, it is team ENGLAND. None of this media and pen pushing nonsense matters.

[Mez]

Pav, you don't know anything. The present regime in S.A. are not redressing past wrongs, they are recreating apartheid,only worse. Discrimination against a minority by a majority is far worse than the other way round. KP had every right to be frustrated.

[Nick Pope]

"He has 15 centuries from 45 Tests, a rate bettered only by Bradman"?

What about the black Bradman (George Headley) - he scored 10 tons in 22 tests ...

[Pav]

Dileep i normally agree with you but on this occasion i beg to differ. The signs of KP's integrity as a person have been there from the early days, he abandoned his country because they were taking positive steps to redress the imbalance apartheid created. He and his family had no problems living in apartheid South Africa but when that was abolished, he decides he wants to come here. The man has a history of throwing his toys out of the pram.

[DKP]

KP is a South African first and then an Englishman and will now become an Indian ! In other words he is a chameleon ! He will move where his interest is maximised and change colours as he sweats. Well before he became captain, he hinted he was very interested in the IPL to make him some quick runs and some quick millions ! He is heading that way. Good on him, he is the winner with his skills.But English Cricket overall is a loser !

[Leigh Vernier]

IPL is not the future of cricket.
Bosomy ra-ra girls mega chanting?
Baying, highly partisan crowds?
Emphasis on slosh-bosh and tosh?
Economical trundler bowlers more 'valuable' than wicket takers?

Alas cricket is in terminal decline It simply does not fit
modern society.
Only the ultra wealthy and dole spongers are able to attend
a sport that takes DAYS.
Even then, with no result sometimes.

20-20?
Cricket for people who don't like cricket.