GuyFromLancs
State Vice-Captain
For some reason, I had a sneaking suspicion KP would retire after the last Ashes. What I didn’t think is that he would be pushed – I guess being your team’s top run scorer in a terrible series isn’t enough to save you, but is enough to condemn you.
So KP's at times infuriating, and at times awe-inspiring, England career is over. The temptation is now to sum it all up in a neat little soundbite. “One of the best” “Good not great”. “Didn’t quite fulfil” etc etc.
I actually think (typically to KP) all of these contradictions could be true at once. He was, for me, still the best (or most enthralling) exhibitionist bastman in the game. A KP century is like an odyssey of destruction. I can’t remember seeing a cricketer whose personality is so outwardly and evidently manifest in the way he did, or didn’t, score runs. His shots – both great and poor- seemed to directly reflect his persona and mood. The way he elected to take on and beat Brett Lee’s short ball in the 05 Ashes was hardly a triumph of technique, but it was of will.
My favourite KP was the one that was born in 05, and lived until the end of the South Africa at home series in 2008 – a series in which he was outstanding. This series was probably the only time in cricketing history that I could claim KP was the best – not just the most exciting – but the number 1 batsman in the world.
But barring albeit significant degrees and exceptions, I feel his career began to decline after this. Besides India at home in 2011, I can’t recall him dominating a series, as opposed to a single match or more likely single innings.
The captaincy fiasco, a dreadful tour of the West Indies, an injury during the 2009 Ashes. The Indian series aside he was never the full KP again. Yet, in spite of this he played 2 of the best innings I ever saw. At home to South Africa in 2012, and his “reintegration” century in India at the back end of the same year.
Even his 227 against Australia in Adelaide in 2010, as entertaining as it was, didn’t carry the significance as some of his earlier efforts. The determination to string along consecutively very good performances seemed to have been exchanged with mediocre turns interspersed with moments of profound greatness.
But the KP I remember and always will, is the KP who if I heard scored a hundred on the radio, or via the news, I would clear my schedule to watch the highlights of. He was the only England player I have ever done this for. He’s the guy I’d delay visiting my mates for, delay doing some work out of hours, delay cooking my other half a meal … delay pretty much anything other than an event of the gravest importance.
Good, very good, or great – he is the one England batsman in my lifetime I’d go out of my way to see annihilate the other side.
So thanks for all the times you did this for me, Kev.
All the best.
So KP's at times infuriating, and at times awe-inspiring, England career is over. The temptation is now to sum it all up in a neat little soundbite. “One of the best” “Good not great”. “Didn’t quite fulfil” etc etc.
I actually think (typically to KP) all of these contradictions could be true at once. He was, for me, still the best (or most enthralling) exhibitionist bastman in the game. A KP century is like an odyssey of destruction. I can’t remember seeing a cricketer whose personality is so outwardly and evidently manifest in the way he did, or didn’t, score runs. His shots – both great and poor- seemed to directly reflect his persona and mood. The way he elected to take on and beat Brett Lee’s short ball in the 05 Ashes was hardly a triumph of technique, but it was of will.
My favourite KP was the one that was born in 05, and lived until the end of the South Africa at home series in 2008 – a series in which he was outstanding. This series was probably the only time in cricketing history that I could claim KP was the best – not just the most exciting – but the number 1 batsman in the world.
But barring albeit significant degrees and exceptions, I feel his career began to decline after this. Besides India at home in 2011, I can’t recall him dominating a series, as opposed to a single match or more likely single innings.
The captaincy fiasco, a dreadful tour of the West Indies, an injury during the 2009 Ashes. The Indian series aside he was never the full KP again. Yet, in spite of this he played 2 of the best innings I ever saw. At home to South Africa in 2012, and his “reintegration” century in India at the back end of the same year.
Even his 227 against Australia in Adelaide in 2010, as entertaining as it was, didn’t carry the significance as some of his earlier efforts. The determination to string along consecutively very good performances seemed to have been exchanged with mediocre turns interspersed with moments of profound greatness.
But the KP I remember and always will, is the KP who if I heard scored a hundred on the radio, or via the news, I would clear my schedule to watch the highlights of. He was the only England player I have ever done this for. He’s the guy I’d delay visiting my mates for, delay doing some work out of hours, delay cooking my other half a meal … delay pretty much anything other than an event of the gravest importance.
Good, very good, or great – he is the one England batsman in my lifetime I’d go out of my way to see annihilate the other side.
So thanks for all the times you did this for me, Kev.
All the best.
Go back to SA now, ass. Kallis just retired. It's time.
