Kevin Pietersen has been thrown out of the England test team after reportedly refusing to confirm that the content of text messages he sent South African cricketers was not derogatory to Andrew Strauss or Andy Flower. And, despite much speculation that his value as a cricketer and batsman would far exceed the differences he has had with the ECB, he has been dropped from England's World T20 squad - it was probably to be expected following his omission from England's World T20 "long list", but it still came as a surprise. England are, effectively, seeking to defend their World T20 title without the Player of the Tournament of the last edition, and one of the biggest draws of the IPL - though it might not be mere idle speculation that the latter helped contribute to the current situation.
This latest news is yet another chapter in an often stormy relationship that Pietersen has had with the ECB. Starting with his difficult stint as captain, his twitter rant over being dropped from England's T20 squad and the recent rap on the knuckles for his criticism of Nick Knight, Pietersen has been in the midst of most of the recent controversy in English cricket - only pausing briefly to cede ground to his old teammate, Andrew Flintoff, for an alcohol-fuelled rant regarding Michael Atherton.
While the flap over Pietersen's latest run-in with the ECB is likely to blow over - England's hasty loss of the No.1 standing in Tests to South Africa, the upcoming England contracts process, and the World T20 seem to have enough news value to push Pietersen off the news pages for now - it leaves the average cricket fan with a sense of wonder at how the key people in cricket - players, coaches, boards - stubbornly refuse to learn from the lessons of cricketing history, whether past or recent.
As recently as last month, West Indies cricket welcomed Chris Gayle back to the fold after what seemed like at eternity - but which really lasted around 18 months of international cricket, two editions of the IPL, and one each of the Bangladesh Premier League and the Big Bash League. Gayle spent that time as a T20 specialist, regaling audiences the world over with some truly enjoyable T20 batting - and probably yearning, at the same time, for the adulation that would have been his as a member of the West Indies team. West Indies cricket congratulated itself for being firm in the face of such insubordination - and proceeded to try out a number of cricketers to replace Gayle, with generally little success. The protracted process leading to the eventual patch up left neither side looking good. If there was a lesson in it for cricket as a whole, then the ECB and Pietersen showed that they had not bothered learning from it - a bit like this Dilbert cartoon.
Pietersen's case might well avoid traversing the same path - but, for the present, the parallels are disturbing in their familiarity. Talismanic world-class cricketer, game changer, hugely popular - all these descriptions apply to Pietersen just as easily as they do to Gayle. As does the manner of his ejection. With his exclusion from the World T20 squad, the possibility of the latest episode in the Pietersen-ECB imbroglio becoming an extended slow motion movie looms large.
Pietersen's case - and that of Gayle before him - also brings into focus the whole question of what matters in cricket. The famous - or notorious, depending on how one sees it - WG Grace is supposed to have once refused to go after being given out by the umpire arguing that people turned up to watch him play, and not to watch the umpire giving him out. Pietersen's recent "I love playing for England and people love watching me play" has shades of that.
There have been a number of articles in the aftermath of the Pietersen-ECB falling out, which have argued that the game of cricket is bigger than the people who play it, and hence Pietersen has no real reason to expect to be treated differently from any other cricketer. There is truth to that - cricket is a team game and no one, not even the likes of Bradman, Tendulkar or Warne, is ever going to be bigger than the game itself. But repeating a truism is hardly the most effective way to address the current mess.
There have been a number of articles in the aftermath of the Pietersen-ECB falling out, which have argued that the game of cricket is bigger than the people who play it, and hence Pietersen has no real reason to expect to be treated differently from any other cricketer. There is truth to that - cricket is a team game and no one, not even the likes of Bradman, Tendulkar or Warne, is ever going to be bigger than the game itself. But repeating a truism is hardly the most effective way to address the current mess.
From an outsider's viewpoint it is almost impossible to say what has led to the current impasse. But the conclusion that the intransigence of all parties is contributing in some way to making resolution that much tougher is inescapable.
Pietersen is by far one the biggest “impact” cricketers England has. His importance to England has been demonstrated several times in the past - whether in the final test of the 2005 Ashes, or the World T20 win, or in his much-lauded innings in what might well turn out to be his last Test for England for a while. On its part the ECB would probably have done better to take note of the concerns of such a key member of the squad. Whether it could have been done without causing a rebellion in the ranks is a matter of conjecture, if not certainty, but it is debatable if such unhappiness would have caused the England cricket team to fall apart - especially after Hugh Morris has so publicly declared unity as being the central theme of the team that Strauss and Flower lead.
For his part, Pietersen would probably do well to take a look at how far greater cricketers have played the game. The likes of Tendulkar, Lara and Warne not only had outstanding career records but also did not carry the baggage of the periodic dust-up which seems a necessary part of the Pietersen-ECB relationship - this despite the fact that the testy relationship Lara shared with WICB came closest to that which Pietersen and the ECB seem to have. Similarly, Warne made no secret of his disregard for John Buchanan. This behaviour has lessons for both the ECB and Pietersen - given that Pietersen is a professional, and the ECB one of the leading cricket boards in the world, it should be possible for both parties to retain a relationship - despite disagreements and dissent - which is for the good for their common cricket interests without needing to rush off to the Press or Youtube or committee meeting rooms at the slightest hint of disagreement.
Pietersen claims that his private discussions with the ECB were finding their way into the open through the media. Such claims are not unusual - Pietersen is neither the first sportsman to make this claim, and he is unlikely to be the last. What is unusual, and possibly disturbing for those that follow and support English cricket, is that there does not seem to be any record of either the ECB or the England team management offering even a token denial, leave alone a vehement one, to counter Pietersen's claim. If that silence amounts to an admission of guilt, Pietersen would appear to have valid reasons to feel aggrieved at the treatment being meted out to him by the ECB.
Pietersen claims that his private discussions with the ECB were finding their way into the open through the media. Such claims are not unusual - Pietersen is neither the first sportsman to make this claim, and he is unlikely to be the last. What is unusual, and possibly disturbing for those that follow and support English cricket, is that there does not seem to be any record of either the ECB or the England team management offering even a token denial, leave alone a vehement one, to counter Pietersen's claim. If that silence amounts to an admission of guilt, Pietersen would appear to have valid reasons to feel aggrieved at the treatment being meted out to him by the ECB.
As Jarrod Kimber argues in this well-written piece disagreement is a given in any workplace - and if the England cricket team were to be considered a workplace, then the ECB and the key players in this drama - Pietersen, Flower, Strauss - have a collective responsibility to resolve this jointly.
Pietersen's absence from the England team might lessen the pressure on their opposition - and Dale Steyn has said as much. He may not even be irreplaceable, though it is doubtful if England will find it just as easy to find a comparable impact player.
In the final analysis though, England cricket will have to go on - there is still lots of cricket to be played, there are still challenges to be overcome, and there will always be cricketers who will want to play for England and will be good enough to play. But for a marquee player like Pietersen and leading cricket board like the ECB to let things end this way would be tragic for cricket as a sport - and coming not long after the nightmare which was the Stanford saga, it would call into question the managerial abilities of those who run the ECB. It is difficult to see winners in this entire saga which does not need to be the zero sum game it currently appears to be.
Pietersen's absence from the England team might lessen the pressure on their opposition - and Dale Steyn has said as much. He may not even be irreplaceable, though it is doubtful if England will find it just as easy to find a comparable impact player.
In the final analysis though, England cricket will have to go on - there is still lots of cricket to be played, there are still challenges to be overcome, and there will always be cricketers who will want to play for England and will be good enough to play. But for a marquee player like Pietersen and leading cricket board like the ECB to let things end this way would be tragic for cricket as a sport - and coming not long after the nightmare which was the Stanford saga, it would call into question the managerial abilities of those who run the ECB. It is difficult to see winners in this entire saga which does not need to be the zero sum game it currently appears to be.
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