Ashes 2013/14

[PaulWinch again]

I think the ECB have dropped a massive bollock, this whole thing is not going down very well. Like I said if Cook was significantly involved in this, it's wrong. The captain should be able to manage any player put in his side, if he can't do that he shouldn't be captain.

[lovejoy]

As seen on a Twitter, if you had the choice between eating a pizza and saving Piers Morgan stuck down a well, what topping would you choose?

[eastie]

Morgan is a tit but he is a very close friend of kp  and seems to be his mouthpiece regarding his axing.
Certainly seems the team as a whole were unhappy with the management on tour but kp is the one who has been scapegoated.

[eastie]

Imagine England dropping Wayne Rooney and telling him he will never play for his country again without saying why.

People would be banging down the doors of the Football Association to demand an explanation and Middle England would take to the streets in revolt.

So I’m baffled, exasperated and disgusted the England and Wales Cricket Board think they can get rid of Kevin Pietersen, issue a statement full of corporate waffle, and hope everyone will forget about it.

Well, I’ve got news for the amateur comedians who run the ECB. We want answers, the truth. We want detailed, precise reasons behind their decision to end Pietersen’s international career.

If you sacked a factory worker on the shop floor without telling him why he’s been fired, he would take his employers to the cleaners through the courts.

The ECB can’t just hide behind their blazers and wait for the fuss to die down. They can’t leave everyone to speculate why England have ditched one of their finest players.

Guesswork is no way to run a sporting body.

The buffoons at Lord’s don’t just owe KP an ­explanation – although you might have thought it was a common ­courtesy to outline why he has been sent into exile.

They owe the paying public, the fans who spend £100 on a ticket to home Test matches, a reason why they have discarded the star attraction.

They owe the punters who spend their life-savings to follow England halfway round the world, only to see them get hammered 5-0, more than a fudged statement.

And they owe subscribers who pay good money to follow the cricket on Sky Sports some hard facts.

Getty Images
A man apart? Pietersen was talented but didn't always seem to enjoy the love of his team-mates
The ECB’s press release about building a new team philosophy and a new ethic was just embarrassing.

When I played cricket, Test matches were usually won by runs, wickets and catches, not ­administrators spouting rubbish about philosophy.

And nobody is falling for ECB’s red herring about Pietersen being past it at 33.

What a lot of cock and bull – he’s not 43 or 53. Graham Gooch scored 14 Test hundreds when he was older than Pietersen is now.

Down the years, faceless men at Lord’s have had plenty of practice at making themselves look stupid, but they can’t pull the wool over our eyes this time.

Their handling of KP’s dismissal has been pathetic, and they need to grow some balls and brain cells instead of treating the public as mugs.

Pietersen is not immune from criticism. England’s ­performances in Australia have been abysmal, and there was always going to be some serious repercussions.



http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/ian-bothams-verdict-kevin-pietersen-3115603#ixzz2sWjQwt4f
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

[Chris Jameson]

I don't understand why two nights running 5 Live have felt it necessary to air the views of Piers Moron on a discussion about cricket. Doesn't he spend his time interviewing the likes of Susan Boyle and Katie Price for a living, no doubt there will be a Life Stories with Kevin Pietersen aired before the summer.

[PaulWinch again]

Swann's view that KP's behaviour in Australia was exceptional and the fact he's baffled by the decision to get rid of him lends further credence to the view that the ECB are just using the Ashes as an excuse to get rid of someone they couldn't manage or captain properly.

[paul_e]

All along it's struck me as being a personal issue between Cook and KP, with the ECB backing their captain.  In theory I'm not entirely against that, but when your captain has struggled for form with the bat and has had a pretty ropey 18months as captain it starts to feel a bit myopic.

[lovejoy]

Its not as if KP had a stellar tour though.

[KevinGage]

All along it's struck me as being a personal issue between Cook and KP, with the ECB backing their captain.  In theory I'm not entirely against that, but when your captain has struggled for form with the bat and has had a pretty ropey 18months as captain it starts to feel a bit myopic.

Aye, if the captain was fair and evenhanded, he should recommend to the selectors that they drop Alistair Cook based on form.

Although a difficult character at times, I don't think KP was as reviled in the dressing room as some make out. 

There might well have been legitimate arguments to drop him (and Cook) based on form when the next test comes around. But depriving the new Head Coach of a player of KP's quality seems petty and vindictive.   It's not as if England are so well stocked with quality batsmen that they can afford to do that either.

The loss of Trott (maybe a temporary, maybe for good) is enough of an obstacle to overcome.

Flower, Trott, Swann and now KP all out to grass. I bet the Australians are pulling themselves asunder.

[PaulWinch again]

Its not as if KP had a stellar tour though.

No but he was the top run scorer, so if that's going to be the argument every other batsmen should be up for the chop before him.

[PaulWinch again]

All along it's struck me as being a personal issue between Cook and KP, with the ECB backing their captain.  In theory I'm not entirely against that, but when your captain has struggled for form with the bat and has had a pretty ropey 18months as captain it starts to feel a bit myopic.

Aye, if the captain was fair and evenhanded, he should recommend to the selectors that they drop Alistair Cook based on form.

Although a difficult character at times, I don't think KP was as reviled in the dressing room as some make out. 

There might well have been legitimate arguments to drop him (and Cook) based on form when the next test comes around. But depriving the new Head Coach of a player of KP's quality seems petty and vindictive.   It's not as if England are so well stocked with quality batsmen that they can afford to do that either.

The loss of Trott (maybe a temporary, maybe for good) is enough of an obstacle to overcome.

Flower, Trott, Swann and now KP all out to grass. I bet the Australians are pulling themselves asunder.

Yep and also if you consider that Carberry is unlikely to be a long term solution even if he plays. We're looking at 3 of the top 6 being changed with the removal of KP. It just seems completely bizarre to completely shut the door on someone of his talent.

[aj2k77]

Can anyone explain why Joe root is in the one day and 20/20 squads?

Dernbach too. I can bowl slower shite deliveries, shite offcutters, Crap full tosses and loads of other rubbish variations that get smashed out of the park. So what's he got that I haven't?

I've never heard of Stephen parry can anyone tell me anything about him?

[eastie]

Can anyone explain why Joe root is in the one day and 20/20 squads?

Dernbach too. I can bowl slower shite deliveries, shite offcutters, Crap full tosses and loads of other rubbish variations that get smashed out of the park. So what's he got that I haven't?

I've never heard of Stephen parry can anyone tell me anything about him?

It's all a bit shambolic at the ECB right now - all we need now is the appointment of Giles to cap it all off - farcical.

[Chris Jameson]

Maybe Peter Moores is coming back as coach?

[lovejoy]

Its not as if KP had a stellar tour though.

No but he was the top run scorer, so if that's going to be the argument every other batsmen should be up for the chop before him.

No my point is, if you want to act the big I am, you need to be truly at the top of your game. He wasn't. Don't hear of Ian Bell doing this do we?