Kevin Pietersen has spent years promoting the Pietersen brand and it's finally caught up with him.
After a bit of argy-bargy, he's finally been told that he's not going to be a part of the England cricket team's plans for the foreseeable future; given that he's now 34, that suggests he won't be wearing an England shirt again. A number of pundits and fans have complained that the cricketing hierarchy has unfairly shut Pietersen out; they say that he's the best batsman we've got and that his past indiscretions should be forgiven. Pietersen, of course, has done his bit in making a huge score against the poorest side in the Championship and on the best batting surface in the country, and this has been used as further evidence that he MUST be recalled to the national side.
What all of the pro-Pietersen lobby seem to be willing to ignore is that he was a horribly disruptive influence when he was in the team. As captain, he was a disaster and he was excluded from the side after a series of high-profile actions, all of which served to undermine his team mates, captain and management. He followed up his exclusion by penning a book which included huge criticism of those who had been his close associates, and yet he now wants to come back as if nothing had happened. That the new Director of Cricket for England, Andrew Strauss, has referred to a lack of trust between the ECB and Pietersen is hardly surprising, given the history.
Pietersen is continuing to make loud noises about his disappointment but appears unwilling, or unable, to appreciate that his omission from the national side is down to his own actions. Sadly, he is one of those people who sees only what he wants to and is not prepared do what is necessary to put things right. R.I.P.
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