An unstoppable force meets immovable object

Our man from England, Jack Marshall writes yet again and this time on the Kevin Pietersen - ECB feud.
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What I would give to see inside Kevin Pietersen's head...

The man is erratic to the point of paradox; he is a genius, he is foolhardy. Egotism itself is envious of KP's seemingly boundless narcissism but he is an invaluable team member. He contradicts his own contradictions and asserts in discernibly dulcet South African tones that he 'is proud to be English'. In an era of social networking, he is a modern enigma. His recent fall from grace is the most contentious and polarising issue in English cricket since his spat with Peter Moores in 2009: he has never been the most popular character in the dressing room, either with fellow players or management, but he is now deemed to be more trouble than he is worth.

If one is to analyse the situation from a completely impartial and neutral position then the crux of the entire debacle is the scheduling. Kevin Pietersen plays pivotal roles in all three formats for England and has a lot on his plate. As an international superstar, Kevin Pietersen has plenty of suitors in the IPL, suitors who he would very much like to play for. In recent contract negotiations, Pietersen requested, not demanded, to be allowed to play next year's IPL in its entirety, which would entail missing some of the Test series in New Zealand. While the ECB is reluctant for KP to miss a chunk of a Test series, one can fairly point out that if they simply were to fashion a window for England's créme de la créme to showcase their skills in an exciting and highly competitive, not to mention lucrative, format, then there would be no need for anyone to miss any Test cricket.

KP - Hard times

The creation of a window of a about a month and a half in the international calendar in which all T20 competitions take place, with players allowed to choose which to play in a lá football league style, could provide a possible solution. T20 cricket is too enjoyable (for both players and spectators), lucrative and marketable for the game to ignore for much longer, so subsequent measures should be taken as opposed to the petty squabbling that we see between the likes of the ECB and the BCCI (and the IPL) regarding T20 cricket. It is counter-productive and not in the best interests of the game.

But back to KP.

Pietersen's contract negotiations were leaked not by Kevin, but by the ECB themselves for some reason. Because of this, I retain a degree of sympathy for KP who has been painted out in the media as a big-headed and greedy figure, unconcerned with how English cricket fares. This is not the reality: KP is an astute professional, but his ego sometimes causes him to act irrationally albeit with savory intentions. He has also been poorly advised. But Kev has to shoulder the majority of the blame. He may have had cause to be disgruntled, but the way he dealt with things invited criticism and resulted in the mess he currently finds himself in. His retirement from limited overs cricket was hollow and a signal of intent from both parties, who steadfastly stuck to their guns to the point where the damage was irrevocable; beyond any YouTube apology or sullen expression of regret regarding texts.

KP played on of the best innings in modern day cricket at Headingley in his last test.  He scored  149.

Flower can't succumb to player pressure, and Pietersen's narcissism has been received with a straight and solid bat from the coach, an assured recipe for conflict. Pietersen's century celebration at Headingly was revealing. His isolation in the dressing room became notably apparent when he raised his bat to his family and to the crowd, barley acknowledging the dressing room. His actions in the interview post-match were also interesting. KP emerged sans skipper, Strauss, in a display of his ostracised position in the dressing room, and when asked why he hadn't waited for Strauss, he replied: "I'm not waiting for Andrew Strauss."

Pietersen's determination to do things his way, to emphasize his independence, has not been met with approval from the ECB. Even his video apology was done on his own terms as opposed to through typical and formal ECB protocol. Instead of a statement made in conjunction with the ECB and both the captain and the coach, Pietersen came out and released an uncensored and candid interview: how is the ECB supposed to endorse and encourage such blatant disregard for the formulaic norm?

And then we come to the texts. KP has officially apologised for his comments in text messages to unknown members in the South African side, the team the England team is currently jousting with for the right to stake their claim as the number 1 Test side in the world. Pietersen's derogatory comments regarding his captain Strauss, who mopped up the mess in the aftermath of KP's altercation with Moores, were too much for the ECB to stomach: too untrustworthy for Kevin to take up his place in the team.

KP and ECB - A marriage gone all bad

There are those who claim that KP's personal texts are not the business of the ECB. This I would agree with in principal, but in the circumstances that we find ourselves in, considering Pietersen's history of disputes with officialdom, considering to whom the texts were sent, they were very much the business of the ECB. They were the ECB's business because they undermined their authority. Andrew Strauss has emphasized in interviews on the subject, that despite numerous apologies, Pietersen isn't worthy of the trust that the coach has to invest in all England players. He is too unpredictable and coarse and his high-profile nature and the extent of his actions make his case more volatile and potentially inflammatory that that of say Swann, who expressed his disappointment at being dropped for the second Test in a more subtle and professional manner.

Both sides are to blame, although to differing extents, in this matter. The ECB have showed their inflexibility with regards to the schedule (possibly the essence of the problem) while KP has shown his unnecessary independence through his video apologies and texts. The whole issue is complex, it is confrontational and it is concealed in hidden and uncertain nuances that will forever be veiled form the public eye. Interpretation is relative, and opinions are diverse. But what is clear, is that it is a perplexing impasse: KP wants to play, the ECB wants him to play… but reputations, egos, image and trust have clouded the issue.

Unstoppable force meets immovable object.

Jack Marshall is an English student from Manchester who lives in Gran Canaria, Spain. He loves cricket and football and supports Manchester City and the England Cricket Team. In his free time he likes to read, write on sport and listen to music.

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You can also listen to him talk about the England - South Africa test series on Verbal Slogs podcast.

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Posted in: Andrew Strauss,Columns,ECB,England,IPL,Kevin Pietersen,New Zealand,Peter Moores,South Africa