It's Tough Being Me - The Kevin Pietersen Story

[Jacknife]

Originally Posted by four_or_six

If this is right, it's much worse telling SA bowlers how to get Strauss out than calling him a box or **** or whatever.

Kevin Pietersen texts 'told South Africa how to bowl to Andrew Strauss' | Metro.co.uk

I don't think they needed his help, not exactly a secret is it everyone and his dog knows or is that the banter part.

[four_or_six]

Originally Posted by Jacknife

I don't think they needed his help, not exactly a secret is it everyone and his dog knows or is that the banter part.

Can't imagine KP would have found it quite so funny if it was Strauss texting Michael Clarke saying "just bring yourself on as soon as KP is in and you'll have no problems" however true that is.

[BoyBrumby]

BBC indulging themselves in a spot of schadenfruede at Pietersen's expense. They've out up a link to the BBC London radio commentary of his first baller.

Got a good booing for his trouble. Well, two good booings in quick succession, actually.

[Garson007]

Closest to doos would be c***. Don't know about the dumb part. Let's say someone cuts you off in traffic, this is what you'd call him under your breath.

[Jacknife]

I know I shouldn't expect anymore from journos in our Country but the media on this has been appalling, there's no arguing he ****ed up but you'd think reading the headlines that the bloke had been knocking his missus around or been found cheating the game. The need by some to see him turned into a hate figure is distasteful imo, obviously those that already hated the guy are lapping it up & loving it.

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

It's a peculiar piece for Oborne to write. Now I usually lean towards the "only good Tory is a dead Tory" style of old-school unreconstructed leftism, but I have a lot of time for him. He's from the anglican, paternalistic, one-nation wing of conservatism and has campaigned at various times against Apartheid and Israel's occupation of Palestine, so could arguably be said to be somewhat to the left of New Labour on some important issues. He also noteably wrote a wholly excellent (and, if not definitive, then certainly the tome against which future efforts will be judged) biography of Basil D'Oliveira, who represented Blighty with great honour and no little skill, so for him to say:



Seems quite a stunning volte face.

His article ignores SA-born players like Robin Smith, who was one of the bravest and least selfish players to wear the three lions when I was a young shaver, for no other reason than Judgey doesn't seem to fit the ugly Saffer archetype he's constructed.

For my money the thing that unites Greig & Pietersen could just as easily be that they're avaricious arseholes, not that they're South African.

Agree with all this. Most teeth-grinding part is that it's all so predictable; saw quite a few people predicting the press would turn on KP in exactly this way, possibly before his debut. As cliche as his 'I heart England' pronouncements were in the early days, nothing he said was ever going to be enough to stop this from happening.

[Top_Cat]

From April 2004, mind you.

Southern comfort | Cricket Features | Wisden Cricket Monthly | ESPN Cricinfo

The prospect of South African sledging does not faze him. More of a concern are the inevitable English jibes about passports of convenience. "There's no doubt about it," he says. "We feel the pressure because of coming from South Africa, and the things that people say," he says, empathising with the Zimbabwe-born Hick. "I know I've just got to continue scoring runs. It's very difficult, it's easy to get side-tracked and I'm not going to lie about it."

Since then Pietersen's reputation has preceded him. A rapidly deteriorating relationship with Nottinghamshire took a turn for the worse at the end of last season when the club captain, Jason Gallian, hurled Pietersen's gear over the dressing-room balcony after Pietersen told him he wanted to terminate his contract a year early. In February the county were served with a claim for unfair dismissal despite the fact that the gear-throwing incident did not strictly constitute dismissal. And in between Pietersen was instructed by the Academy coach Rod Marsh to walk away from any interviewer who brought the subject up - something he has not always managed to do.

This was all grist to the mill of critics who argue that Pietersen could one day disrupt the England dressing room.

Indeed.

[Viscount Tom]

Sambit Bal : Sambit Bal: The case for flexibility in the Pietersen saga | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Yay another dross article about Pietersen. Forgetting that there's no I in team.

[Spark]

God forbid that someone points out that big egos need to be managed, not just cast aside.

[benchmark00]

Originally Posted by Spark

God forbid that someone points out that big egos need to be managed, not just cast aside.

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

[grecian]

Originally Posted by benchmark00

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

Indeed, this arguments so tiresome, Bairstow can part replace him, and we need to give other guys a run, maybe Taylor. Give them a go, fresh start and all that.

Do I need to do the full list of people he's fallen out with?

[four_or_six]

Originally Posted by benchmark00

How long can you unsuccessfully manage an ego of that size before you need to focus your energies elsewhere?

I'm with benchmark00 on this one.

World going to end tomorrow?

[Jacknife]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

Agree with all this. Most teeth-grinding part is that it's all so predictable; saw quite a few people predicting the press would turn on KP in exactly this way, possibly before his debut. As cliche as his 'I heart England' pronouncements were in the early days, nothing he said was ever going to be enough to stop this from happening.

There's an article that I remember reading years ago, I think it was by quite a famous SA journalist that predicted exactly that, never been able to find it since though.

Said it from the start, I personally hope this can be sorted out and we can move on because I don't think what's happened should be an end to such a great batsmen' s career, we're a better side with him in it.

We've got some big series ahead against India and the Ashes double header and I'd much rather KP was there than not. Obviously he's got some things he's got to do to make things right but like I've said before all should be done by both sides to make this happen.

[Spikey]

not in the wc squad.

[Spikey]

ravi 'cbf' bopara in instead. the cruelest blow yet