posted Aug 11, 2008

"KP let the game drift away from England"

If you're talking about that 94, then he (and colly) were the only ones that saved us from getting completely steamrollered. Even though we lost anyway.

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posted Aug 11, 2008

Swamy - First, you might think it's a, "dead rubber", but if any of the South Africans fail to try then they'll soon find themselves out of the team. Secondly, you are correct when you say that it is too early to say whether or not KP will prove himself a good captain. It's particularly inappropriate to compare a man of almost no captaincy experience with a man such as Vaughan who has five years under his belt as the England captain.

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posted Aug 11, 2008

"KP let the game drift away from England"

I trhink he was referring to the 9th wicket partnership yesterday, where he could have had a couple more slips in for the new ball perhaps

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posted Aug 11, 2008

comment by SwamyCricketAnanda (U5959555)
posted 1 Hour Ago

First of all, it is a Dead Rubber and the Saffers cared less. Secondly, it's not over yet. And on many occasions, KP let the game drift away from England. Too early to decide.
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The captain doesn't make a huge difference, when you need captaincy skills is when things aren't happening for you in the field. If you're on top you can't let the game drift, already KP has shown a weakness in getting rid of a nuisance tailender (Harris) and that could have cost England the match.

What I find funny is people will sing his praises for the game going his way, as if he's coached the bowlers to bowl straight and get the ball to swing personally. Was it TMS who were critical of his overdefensive approach with the new ball? The single biggest danger with a new captain is he will simply do what the previous captain did, as opposed to understanding why you're doing something just imitate it. It is ironic that such an attacking batsman could be so defensive/negative with his captaincy. I literally LOL'd when I heard Broad defending the indefensibly defensive approach, then again he is desperate to keep his place so what is his hot air worth?

The real Test will come in the winter and subsequent series, winning a dead rubber with the bowlers performing is no test of his captaincy.

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posted Aug 11, 2008

"The captain doesn't make a huge difference, when you need captaincy skills is when things aren't happening for you in the field."

This is the exact opposite of what we've been hearing for 5 years now... with Vaughan as skipper. Despite his pitiful batting, his so-called cerebral captaincy was praised to the skies, and used to justify his place in the squad.

KP has seemingly called the bluff in a single Test.

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posted Aug 12, 2008

"He is hardly liked by the Australian cricket team - but that is because he is so good. The less someone is liked by the Australians, the greater respect they are usually held in, and earned respect is worth all the gold in the world."

What a bizarre philosophy! That really can't be healthy...

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posted Aug 12, 2008

Think you're right C_Hucker. When Jimmy and Harmy took the new ball SA were 119 ahead with only three wickets left but KP gave them only one slip. Other than that thought everything he did seemed positive and really we couldn't have asked for more; dead rubber or not. We need 5 bowlers but Freddie (much as we love him) has got a lot to do to convince a lot of people htat he can bat at No6.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

It is, of course, far too early to assess KP's captaincy. However...

Had he botched that final test, there would be no shortage of pundits and public heaping scorn upon him. So it is perfectly fair for praise to be given, so long as we retain a proper perspective.

The comments about KP's 94 (if not here, in the wider media) do vex me. Yes, he could be more cautious sometimes but the chutzpah KP shows, builds on his enormous talent and training to both gain him large tallies of runs but also to cause early dismissals sometimes. It is a package. Emasculate that and one risks damaging his high totals, too. Moreover, why do people so oft blame KP when he is the one (or one of two) batsmen to actually do so well?

I hope, for KP's sake, for England's and for the public's, his captaincy is a great success without damaging his own stella performances.

Finally, let us never forget how much effort KP puts into honing that superb talent. He deserves respect when we discuss him - be it praise or condemnation.

bb.

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posted Aug 13, 2008

Swamy, for someone who doesn't think that the captain makes much difference, how come you're so critical of the decisions that (English) captains make?

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posted Aug 14, 2008

Moby Swamy hates Vaughan with a passion, and therefore has always said the captain made no difference. I take everything he says about captaincy with an enormous sack of salt.

Before we all start getting starry-eyed about a dead rubber which had absolutely zilch pressure for the new captain, let's consider how he's going to deal with a desperately homesick Harmison (out of condition because he's not been released by the ECB to play for Durham as he wanted, so has 4 cricket-free months before the tour of India), Freddie going off on another bender, senior players arguing with the coach and his own game affected by the worries and cares of captaincy - Pietersen was already on the defensive about his batting in his very first press conference. I don't see him as remotely tough enough in the sense of not giving a monkey's what other people think. KP cares deeply about his image; he adores fame and has already been spotted on the London party circuit. People notice these things and will pick up on them when things go wrong as they inevitably will.

Shane Warne observed that the triumvirate required to win back the Ashes 2009 was Vaughan, Flintoff and Pietersen. One major component has now been lost. I'm not at all sure that Pietersen can fill two roles equally well.

Pietersen's appointment does absolutely nothing to address two major problems: Peter Moores as coach, and Geoff Miller as chair of selectors. Both should have resigned by now, but particularly Moores who has been utterly ineffectual and helped to make the best England of all time resign - clearly the endless 'challenging' he's alleged to do of players hasn't worked too well. I also deeply distrust a coach who oozes all over the newly appointed captain without sussing him out first.

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