posted Jan 12, 2009

Gloster, You are absolutely right, at least statistically.

Here is a listing of batting averages of English batsmen who have played at least 20 matches, excluding those vs BD and ZIM.

There are only 8 English batsmen who have averaged 50+ runs (If I didn't set the qualification to 20 tests, Duleepsinghji would have found a place; he played 14 tests). KP ranks #7 on the list. As you see, he is the only English batsman since Ken Barrington (last played 1968), i.e., the only English batsman in the past 40 years to average 50+ runs.

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=2;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=6;opposition=7;opposition=8;orderby=batting_average;qualmin2=20;qualval2=matches;team=1;template=results;type=batting

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posted Jan 12, 2009

SC

Hutton has an extraordinary number of not outs for a man who opened! Hammond & Compton have a few not outs too.

Ah... must have been the days when England declared at 450-2.

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posted Jan 12, 2009

Womble, Those were the glory days. In the middle order, Wally Hammond was perhaps the major headache for the opposition then. That's a good observation about Len Hutton. Once settled, he was hard to get rid of with an exceptional conversion rate.

I am surprised though that KP is only English batsman to average 50+ runs in the past 40 years since Ken Barrington. During this period, Australia, West Indies, South Africa and India has had many batsmen that averaged 50+.

At the same time, England's performance wasn't too shabby. England played the most number of tests (420) in the past 40 yrs, followed by Aus (277). Despite not having superstar batsmen (meaning 50+ av), England has had a decent record during this period - 125 wins vs 138 losses.

http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=2;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=6;opposition=7;opposition=8;orderby=won;spanmax1=11+Jan+2009;spanmin1=12+Jan+1969;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team

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posted Jan 12, 2009

This man is unquestionably the best batsman England have produced for 30 years. Ahead of Gower, Gatting, Atherton, Lamb, Stewart and yes ahead of Boycott and Gooch too.
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Since when did England produce Kevin Pietersen and Allan Lamb?

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posted Jan 12, 2009

Just one flaw in your assessment. England did not produce KP. He is South African born and bred with a quirk of nationality giving him English status. Nasser, Strauss, Mat Prior, Gairent Jones, Tim Ambrose, Andy Caddick and probably more in modern time all born and bred to a certain point abroad. I will not go back to the time of sanctions against South Africa.

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posted Jan 12, 2009

I think we're all forgetting that part of the reason that KP did not break through in South Africa is because then he was trying to be an all-rounder, it wasn't until he came to England that he concentrated on his batting to good effect.

Pietersen really should have a far better average than he has too, he has got out just after getting 100 more than once

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posted Jan 12, 2009

Few years ago folks said the same thing about Matthew Hayden. Cricket is a strange game..one bad year, one injury, huge expectations that cant be fulfilled and things start drifting apart.

Not doubting stats..but 3-4 years in game is not right time to pass a judgement.

He has already proven - he is not good leader - a good leader knows how to take everyone along.

Let us see how he handles everything else life and success brings to him.

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posted Jan 12, 2009

I have no truck; his honest report ridded England of mediocre clipboard Moore; and opened up the England coaching job to true international talent such as Tom Moody, Tom Ford and Micky Arthur. So potential growth out of this one.

Still want to know which weasel leaked it to the press; was it a player, official, explayer, agent or hagger on??????? Time will tell.

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posted Jan 12, 2009

As everyone has pointed out England have had nothing to do with the production of KP - we might as well claim Warnie as one of our own as its all part of the Commonwealth???

Robius - Why do we want Tom Ford as coach - a Gucci designer - I know they are a bunch of popstars but is that not going too far....

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posted Jan 12, 2009

I would certainly not leave Pietersen out of the test team. What he should never do ever again is captain the team. His claims of total innocence in this whole saga ring very hollow indeed and show why he should never have been chosen to captain the team (also echo Shane Warne's complete refusal ever to take responsibility for his actions - it was always someone else's fault for Warne. How interesting that KP played at Hampshire under Shane Warne). Just one other example: after England beat the Saffers in the 1-dayers, he refused to go out with his team mates, citing extreme fatigue, but he was extremely willing to go off to Whisky Mist in Park Lane with Princess Beatrice and drunken chums. This shows his utter failure to understand his role and his responsibilities as the embodiment of English cricket.

KP's greatest strength as a batsman is his greatest weakness as captain of a team: total self-absorption. The captain of the team cannot afford such self-indulgence but has to be aware of so many things. The fact that KP seems oblivious to the effect he has on the team and the organisation around him shows why he failed so badly.

Darwin noted in his studies of evolution that animals which don't adapt finally die. KP died as captain because he refused adamantly to adapt - listen to his his first press conference in which he told the listening world that he would not change anything about the way he played now he had become captain. Straight after that conference, two senior players (the two Andrews, Flintoff and Strauss) were interviewed. They looked and sounded deeply uneasy about the appointment and gave much less than a ringing endorsement to KP's elevation.

Whoever leaked what was really an open secret to the Daily Telegraph reporter who broke the story on New Year's Eve, deserves a medal in my view. We now have the best man for the job in Andrew Strauss - intelligent, cool, self-possessed and patient, he has qualities of maturity which KP will never acquire, and Strauss should have been selected when Vaughan stepped down. Peter Moores, the Steve McLaren of cricket has also gone. What a pity that Geoff Miller was not also sacked for his eccentric selections over the past year, culminating in the Darren Pattinson saga at Edgbaston. Heads should roll at the ECB as well for bad management.

KP will play with England again because he has to be loved and adored on the big stage, and that big Test stage is where he will get the adulation he so craves.

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