Overated Kevin Pieterson

[OverratedSanity]

A lack of consistency is not an accusation that can be fairly levelled at Pietersen. Take Cook and Bell, his two closest contemporaries. Both went through spells where they didn't seem to know how to score runs, both went through massive purple patches with huge averages.

Pietersen did neither. He just constantly churned out runs at a 50 average (or near enough) for years. If any criticism can be levellee at KP, it's that he didn't have an extended period of dominance the way Clarke did after taking the captaincy or the way Cook did for about 2 years between 2010 and 2012.

Good point, actually. People tend to look at KP's brash style and sometimes silly way of getting himself out and assume that he's inconsistent. It's a trait that is associated with those sort of players.

That he never really had a lengthy purple patch is definitely the one big problem that prevented KP from reaching that next level.