Kevin Pietersen (pt 2)
I had a little chat about KP last week, so now that he's England captain I feel I should probably post a follow up.
Last week I had called into question KP's place in the Test side because I wasn't convinced that he could control himself long enough to get the big scores required of him. Well, now that he's skipper and his place is guaranteed, giving him the authority and responsibility he so evidently craves, is it going to affect his game as it has others? I can't honestly see his average slipping, in fact it'll probably improve. But what of the flash shots? Well, we were reminded on Friday that he can resist the glory shot and play very well indeed. This could be just what he needs to go from a brilliant if sometimes rash batter, to a genuine great. Only time will tell.
He's lucky that he has this dead game to captain (South Africa have already wrapped up the series win, so the 4th Test at the Oval is for pride and practice only) as it gives him much needed experience without so much pressure. His first real test will be the one day series starting on the 22nd August and of course the tour of India, where he will be responsible for both Test and one day series.
For what it's worth, I reckon he'll thrive on the responsibility but may struggle initially with managing the field (particularly in the 5-day game) as he has so little experience in such matters. I have no idea what he'll be like to work with as skip, but if he can keep his ego out of his man-management skills, then it could be a very interesting and - dare I say it - successful period for English cricket. We'll only really know which way things will go once he takes charge in games that mean something.
Last week I had called into question KP's place in the Test side because I wasn't convinced that he could control himself long enough to get the big scores required of him. Well, now that he's skipper and his place is guaranteed, giving him the authority and responsibility he so evidently craves, is it going to affect his game as it has others? I can't honestly see his average slipping, in fact it'll probably improve. But what of the flash shots? Well, we were reminded on Friday that he can resist the glory shot and play very well indeed. This could be just what he needs to go from a brilliant if sometimes rash batter, to a genuine great. Only time will tell.
He's lucky that he has this dead game to captain (South Africa have already wrapped up the series win, so the 4th Test at the Oval is for pride and practice only) as it gives him much needed experience without so much pressure. His first real test will be the one day series starting on the 22nd August and of course the tour of India, where he will be responsible for both Test and one day series.
For what it's worth, I reckon he'll thrive on the responsibility but may struggle initially with managing the field (particularly in the 5-day game) as he has so little experience in such matters. I have no idea what he'll be like to work with as skip, but if he can keep his ego out of his man-management skills, then it could be a very interesting and - dare I say it - successful period for English cricket. We'll only really know which way things will go once he takes charge in games that mean something.
Comments