Pietersen injury a growing concern for England

Kevin Pietersen’s chances of playing any part in the Ashes series this summer are slowly fading after the talismanic batsman revealed he will not play for England during the ICC Champions Trophy this summer.

Pietersen, 32, has been plagued by a knee injury this spring after bruising to the bone kept him out of England’s third Test in New Zealand in March and despite the immediate prognosis indicating a speedy recovery his situation has so far failed to improve.

He was already scheduled to miss England’s reverse Test series with the Kiwis this early summer and has sat out of Delhi Daredevils’ entire IPL season, yet this further withdrawal should seriously concern England cricket fans.

For if Pietersen is not fit to play the ICC Champions Trophy or any of England’s ODI games with New Zealand then Alastair Cook will have a man unfit and out of focus heading into an important Ashes showdown.

Pietersen was one of the shining lights when England defended the Urn in Australia in 2010/11 and his place in the middle order is vital to any success.

In 17 Ashes Tests between 2005 and 2011 the right-hander has an impressive 52.71 batting average and hit three centuries. He has been an ever present in the England side throughout their rise in fortunes during the modern era and that magnificent 227 at Adelaide in 2010 will go down as one of England’s finest ever batting performances.

Unfortunately we are unlikely to witness a repeat performance this summer if Pietersen cannot fully recover in time to get some first-class practice under his belt before the opening delivery on 10 July.

Australia have named a relatively weak travelling squad for the Ashes and this should convince England betting fans to back their nation heavily for the win, although whether or not Pietersen will have a say in the matter is sadly yet to be decided.

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ECB right to withdraw Pietersen

The growing schedule of global cricket is starting to affect England’s international side after the ECB again decided to withdraw a key player from an upcoming series.

After James Anderson, Jonathan Trott and Graeme Swann were all withdrawn from England’s January ODI series with India, it’s now Kevin Pietersen’s turn to be given a break – the batsman out of England’s short-form tour of New Zealand next year.

The reason for this decision is simple yet will still disappoint cricket fans in the Cricket Betting Tips  world who see Pietersen as integral to each England side and one of the few players to handle pressure on a regular basis. With a heavy 2013 schedule ahead it is best for Pietersen to rest now and so not risk burnout later in the year.

Having resolved relations with the ECB, the 32-year-old is now set to play an important part in England’s Ashes defence next summer and the tour of Australia six months later.

The New Zealand series is therefore the only real rest Pietersen will get between now and February 2014, when back-to-back Ashes series finally comes to a close and England take stock of how the past 18 months have gone.

As mentioned in his recent Michael Vaughan tips    column, this recent India Test was meant to prove England’s mettle before Australia come to town in six months time and Alastair Cook’s side certainly didn’t disappoint. There is no need to set the world alight against New Zealand, nor is there any worry England will lose their form before the baggy greens arrive in June.

 

Therefore, these next few months are crucial for the ECB to manage their players’ workload and if that means big guns such as Pietersen have to miss the odd series then so be it.

KP Addition Bolsters England

After a saga that has dragged the reputation of English cricket to grimly low levels, Kevin Pietersen is finally back in the England squad after two months in the wilderness.

His return to the squad marks the end of his period of reintegration, which involved several rounds of talks with coach, Andy Flower, new Test captain, Alastair Cook, and several key members of the first team.

The drama stemmed from ‘provocative’ text messages sent by Pietersen to South Africa players during last summer’s Test series between the two sides.

However, that incident in isolation probably would not have caused such a furore with Bet365 cricket online. The problem with KP is that this latest incident was one of many that rubbed the ECB and England players up the wrong way.

Pietersen’s ego is notoriously sensitive, akin to that of a Premier League footballer than a cricketer. He loves the glory and attention of top level cricket, something at odds with the modest team ethic of Andy Flower’s England.

His talent is without question, but his antics at Headingley threatened to divide the dressing room.

To his credit, he has been insistent in his desire to play for England again – in all forms of the game. He could have easily given up on his country and become the latest ‘freelance’ cricketer, chasing the T20 dream around the World.

But his remorse appears genuine and rounds of talks appear to have gone well. I‘m sure there will be a few frosty moments initially, but the England team know there is no place for internal squabbling in a place such as India, where they will begin a three match Test series in November.

Hopefully, this sorry chapter of English cricket can be put to bed and we can all focus on what KP does best; the cricket Test betting pundits are certainly waiting to see what Pietersen can do for England’s chances, this autumn and winter.

Colly backs Flower over KP

Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has backed coach Andy Flower to make the right decision when he decides whether to recall Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen has been dropped from the England one-day squad and T20 World Cup squad after he was alleged to have sent provocative text messages regarding Flower and former captain Andrew Strauss to South Africa players during the second Test at Headingley last month.

Pietersen already had a strained relationship with both the game’s authorities and his team-mates, with the 32-year-old accused of being selfish and arrogant.

He had ironically threatened to quit international cricket altogether prior to the Headingley Test due to his frustration at being unable to retire from one-day cricket without also quitting T20 internationals, something he did not want to do with the World Cup coming later this month.

Pietersen apologised via a video released by his media team, but by then news of his rogue texts had emerged and he was quickly dropped from the squad while the ECB decided what to do with him.

His absence undoubtedly hurts England as he is a player of immense talent, But no matter how good you are, the team must come first and his re-appearance in the dressing room may do more harm than good. Certainly punters who bet on cricket are putting their money on his international career coming to an end.

It is now up to Flower to decide whether to recall KP to the squad for the winter tour of India, the latest in a string of tough decisions he has made over the years as England team coach.

Australia cricket betting fans will also be paying close attention, as back-to-back Ashes series await next year, with KP an undoubted match-winner.

Collingwood, who retired from Test cricket last year, has backed his former coach to make the right call for the good of the team.

“Since Flower has come in whatever decision he has made has been for the best interests of the England cricket team,” said the 36-year-old.

“I’ve had a couple of discussions [with England players] but you don’t know until you are in the dressing room what the atmosphere is like.

“There is certainly a possibility that if he [Pietersen] says and does the right things he can drag the situation back. It’s not necessarily the end of his career.”

KP quits limited overs cricket

England batsmen Kevin Pietersen has announced his retirement from international limited overs cricket with immediate effect.

The 31-year-old will, however, remain available for all of England’s test matches and the IPL.

Pietersen’s international future has been the subject of intense debate over recent months with this announcement not entirely surprising.

The increasingly crowded cricket calendar is placing an ever greater physical strain on the players, with more and more international cricketers in their late 20s and early 30s feeling forced to choose one form of the game over another due to fitness concerns.

Pietersen’s choice to continue with Test cricket is a boost for the ECB and the longer form of the game as a whole. With the growth of T20 cricket Test match attendances are falling worldwide so the continued presence of a star name like Pietersen will only be of benefit.

However, a rather bizarre ECB ruling means that he cannot represent England in upcoming T20 World Cup as his central contract stipulates he is available for all forms of the limited overs game or none at all. Pietersen, incidentally, revealed he would have been willing to play at the World Cup – where England will be defending their title – had he been allowed to.

In explaining their ruling, an ECB statement read: “This [ruling] is designed to reflect the importance of one-day international cricket which is a strategic priority as England look for improved performances in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.”

His decision to continue in the IPL is also a controversial one. The huge sums on offer for the players are understandably tempting and the competition has reached such a level now whereby a dedicated part of the cricket calendar should now be devoted to it, in order to avoid collisions with international matches. Plenty more players will follow Pietersen’s lead in the coming years.

Both on and off the pitch, the actions and decisions of Kevin Pietersen have always caused debate, and here is no different.

KP has played 127 ODIs and 36 T20s for England, making his international debut in 2004 against Zimbabwe in Harare. He has scored 4,184 runs at an average of 41.84 in one-day internationals and averages 37.93 in international T20 cricket.

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Reaction to Pietersen’s resignation and the sacking of Moores

There is a mixed reaction from the press and media on who is to blame for the events and what lead to the yesterdays events.

Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen leave posts

Both Pietersen and Peter Moores have left their positions as captain and coach respectively. This follows an emergency boardroom meeting on Tuesday after rifts within the camp, notably the exclusion of former skipper Michael Vaughan.  According to cricinfo, Andy Flowers could take the job on an interim basis for the tour to West Indies. Details will be announced some time on Thursday.

Kevin Pietersen’s demands are unreasonable

Peter Moores could be sacked as coach of England this week according to reports circulating in the British media. This comes after the recent row between Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen, thought to be about the omission of former captain Michael Vaughan. Moores and Pietersen’s relationship was thought to be quite poor before this selection problem. Pietersen as captain wants Vaughan back in his team, however, Moores as coach and selector is thought to have been against such move. With the ECB reaching a position where they have to choose between the two, Moores is most likely to go.

India vs England 1st Test

Date: 11-15 December     Start: 4:00am
Venue: Chennai
Live coverage: Skysports1 (TV), BBC Radio four (LW Radio)

Live Streaming: http://ooxtv.com/index.php
Recommended: http://ooxtv.com/eng3.php

Highlights: cricket-online.tv  or cricketsbestvideos

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India win by 6 wickets

England 316 all out
Strauss 123 (233 balls, 15 fours)      Mishra 34 - 6 - 99 – 3
Cook 52 (116 balls, 5 fours)               Harbijan 38 – 2 - 96 – 3
Prior 53* (102 balls, 1 four)

India 241 all out
Dhoni 53 (82 balls, 5 fours)               Flintoff 18.4 – 2 – 49 – 3
Harbijan 40 (58 balls, 7 fours)         Panesar 19 – 4 – 65 – 3

England 311-9 (declared)
Strauss 108 (244 balls, 8 fours)      Zaheer 27 – 7 – 40 – 3
Collingwood 108 (250, 9 fours)      Sharma 22.5 – 1 – 57 – 3

India 387 – 4
Tendulkar 103 (196 balls, 9 fours)        Swann 28.3 – 2 – 103 – 2
Yuvraj 85 (131 balls, 8 fours, 1 six)      Flintoff 22 – 1 – 64 – 1
Sehwag 83 (68 balls, 11 fours, 4 sixes)

Man of the match: Virenda Sehwag

Full scorecard can be found here

Yuvraj returns to India test squad

Yuvraj Singh’s fine form in the ODI series has rewarded him with a place in India’s test squad. He is in line to fill the gap left in the middle order by Ganguly’s retirement. The left-hander is joined in the team by Pragyan Ojha and Subramaniam Badrinath. Kumble’s retirement means that Dhoni will captain the side in his first full series as captian. RP singh misses out. The squad contains 3 spinners with India looking to make most use of helpful spin conditions.