Pietersen can't help how his side performed, he played a decent knock against Australia and has stood up against them quite a few times in the past. I thought the first ball he faced where he slapped it for four through cover was a magnificent shot and really highlighted how he wanted to play, unfortunately, most of his team aren't very good.
Doesn't excuse the comments though. For all the trash talking Australian players (like McGrath, say) have done over the years, I can't recall anyone actually saying they wanted to humiliate the opposition before. That's a fair step up from just saying you think you will win, and Pietersen deserves criticism for talking crap like that and then being well beaten.
I disagree actually, I think Pietersen was perhaps a bit big-headed in making those comments about how he wanted to humiliate Australia, but I don't have any real problem with them. His team failed to deliver, of which some responsibility can be placed on his shoulders as the sides premier bastman, but he can't really help how the rest of his team plays. Of course, it always looks bad when you talk trash and your team doesn't perform, but I don't have any problem with Pietersen making those initial comments.
And btw, first off the woman commentator wasn't as bad as everyone is making out and secondly I've got to laugh at all the staunch Twenty20 supporters going off at her when they fail to realise that she's there for the same reason as all the other marketing ploys, to make cricket more accessible to the masses, something crusty, old expert ex-players just can't do.
Do you remember when bumble was on commentary and he said after the camera was on Symonds he said "Oh no, look who's next it's not fair"
yea that was funny im a huge fan of Hilfy but after that performance by the quartet of fast bowlers i wouldnt change a thing... thats two games in a row our bowling has been good
It's pretty obvious the only reason she is there is because she is a woman, to think she's made the cut based purely on commentary is idiotic. Fact of the matter is that she's a dire commentator, if they had to have a woman then Cass Naido would've been much better.
Nah, KP>Hayden>rest of the English team.
Missed the point though as evident in saying 'to think she's made the cut based purely on commentary is idiotic'. She's there to make Twenty20 more accessible to people, including women. People can't harp on about how Twenty20 will bring cricket to the masses and then go cry foul when a commentator is brought in for that very reason. It makes no sense to me.
Are you seriously suggesting that having a woman commentator will help to lift the popularity of Twenty20? Ludicrous statement to make IMO, people will watch for the entertainment factor, and I fail to see how Donna Williams adds to that in any way. Her commentary was very poor, she seemed to talk constantly and never left the viewer a chance to actually think for themselves as she seemed to be making comments the whole time. That's what annoyed me the most.
How is it a 'Ludicrous statement to make'? You're showing a basic lack of understanding here and I'm not sure how I can explain it any better. She is there to make the new format more accessible to a new set of fans, it's not complicated. She's part and parcel of the whole package and if you don't get that then I have to wonder if you even realise what is going on here in the first place.
So because she has breasts and ****** it will attract more people to watch the cricket? I think not. How is she making it more accessible? Be re-iterating her point several times, going around in circles and then not even making a point? I realise that the ICC are trying to 'dumb down' cricket, so it appeals to the masses, but I can't see how Donna Williams is helping that, just because she's a female. Woman aren't going to start watching the game because there is a female commentating, they'll watch because they may enjoy the entertainment of Twenty20 cricket.
Simply put, for the last time, a bunch of old men are not going to appeal to a new crowd and it's not going to help lift the 'boring' tag off cricket. A women in the box might, it's that simple. Commentary acts as a huge intermediary between the sport and the people. If you want to make cricket accessible to the masses you have to start there. It's simple marketing. Saying people will watch just for the 'entertainment of Twenty20 cricket' is pretty naive, it's a whole package as I said and she's a part of that.
Spot on.
I seriously don't buy into the whole, "she's a woman, so she'll get people watching" because I can't comprehend why they would watch, because she's such a poor commentator. I mean, the concept of having a woman in the box is a decent one, but I just don't think Donna Williams does the job.
