England 2012 Cricket Thread

[Dave Cooper please]

Morgan totally contradicted himself:
"Kevin just wants to be treated the same as the other players."

"You have to treat players like Pietersen differently."

Make yer fookin mind up Piers.

[Gareth]

Bet the SA mgmt are laughing their socks off this week....nothing like having the number one spot handed on a plate.

[Dave Cooper please]

Bet the SA mgmt are laughing their socks off this week....nothing like having the number one spot handed on a plate.

Or...the England team will pull together now and put in a performance, they have done it many times before recently.

[john e]

Bet the SA mgmt are laughing their socks off this week....nothing like having the number one spot handed on a plate.

Or...the England team will pull together now and put in a performance, they have done it many times before recently.

we'l see
 but a good way of doing the best you can against top quality opposition is going out to bat with your best player, you know the one who saved the series for us in the last test, without who we would be dead and buried

i agree with Morgan, the problem with the other England players is they arnt wanted by the IPL they cant earn the mega bucks so it produces jealousy,
 they need to get over themselves as does KP and do the best for the team, and KP being dropped is not the best thing its one of the worse things for an England team fighting to save a test series

[olaftab]

The issue is more important than winning a  test match or saving a series. Insulting your team mates and manager is just unacceptable no matter how good a player you are. No one is denying him his king's ransom  at IPL however you can not pick and choose when and what games you will play for your country. He should retire completely from representing his country if IPL is his priority.

[paul_e]

The issue is more important than winning a  test match or saving a series. Insulting your team mates and manager is just unacceptable no matter how good a player you are. No one is denying him his king's ransom  at IPL however you can not pick and choose when and what games you will play for your country. He should retire completely from representing his country if IPL is his priority.

I agree, insulting fellow players in your team is unacceptable, but KP did it privately (but stupidly) and is being punished whilst the england players who've been involved with the twitter parody of KP are being ignored.  KP has criticised people and been punished but other players, in the same time frame, have done similar but been allowed to get away with him.  I don't disagree KP is an arrogant fool who makes himself an easy target but a lot of the other players have got away with stuff that's nearly as bad.

For example there's a story on the beeb with Bresnan saying we might be a better team for it, there's no need for that in the slightest, and it's nonsense anyway, none of the palyers should be mentioning KP other than to say he's not available for this game and no further comment.

The UK press seem to like to setup people like KP to be comedy villians to mock them at every opportunity and it irks me.  Yes KP is very full of himself, but that's part of why he's so good, he backs himself to win with all this arrogant bluster but time and again he's pulled it off and has won, and has dragged the rest of the team along in his wake.

[PaulWinch again]

Alec Stewart reckons that Pietersen has now apologised, so I'm hoping this can all be moved past. Whilst I know Bresnan was trying to talk a good game today, it's nonsense to say we'd be a better team with Bairstow than Pietersen. Bairstow will be a very good player but he isn't in Pietersen's class as a batsmen at the moment.

[olaftab]

It appears , yet to be confirmed, that KP has apologised for his transgression and now will make himself available for England in all forms of international cricket.  If so well done Kevin and pleased that you have recognised that you are not bigger than England.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Alec Stewart reckons that Pietersen has now apologised, so I'm hoping this can all be moved past. Whilst I know Bresnan was trying to talk a good game today, it's nonsense to say we'd be a better team with Bairstow than Pietersen. Bairstow will be a very good player but he isn't in Pietersen's class as a batsmen at the moment.

Really not sure about Bairstow, he's like a rabbit in the headlights against fast bowling.

[UK Redsox]

Really not sure about Bairstow, he's like a rabbit in the headlights against fast bowling.

There was a good article in yesterday's Telegraph by my old rugby teammate Steve James regarding facing a classic SA pace attack

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/9473015/England-v-South-Africa-James-Taylor-is-well-prepared-for-the-special-feeling-of-being-a-Lords-player.html

[PaulWinch again]

Right the ECB have confirmed they've received an apology from KP. Is this over now and he's available?

[UK Redsox]

Right the ECB have confirmed they've received an apology from KP. Is this over now and he's available?

Has KP now apologised direct to the ECB ?

Early this morning, Radio 5 were saying that he'd apologised thro' his agent.

Is the apology now direct ? It's not clear from the Beeb website

[Villan For Life]

Right the ECB have confirmed they've received an apology from KP. Is this over now and he's available?

Has KP now apologised direct to the ECB ?

Early this morning, Radio 5 were saying that he'd apologised thro' his agent.

Is the apology now direct ? It's not clear from the Beeb website

I read it that he'd apologised to the ECB but not to Flower, Strauss and the rest of his teamates.

[Chris Smith]

Right the ECB have confirmed they've received an apology from KP. Is this over now and he's available?

Has KP now apologised direct to the ECB ?

Early this morning, Radio 5 were saying that he'd apologised thro' his agent.

Is the apology now direct ? It's not clear from the Beeb website

According to SSN he has apologised himself. Strauss just interviewed and said there are still issues to resolve in the dressing room but should be done behind closed doors, understandably he's not too happy about the whole mess.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Why do I get the horrible feeling that he'll be ushered back in but still get his original aim of picking and choosing games.

I hope Bairstow scores a ton.