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Kevin Pietersen has pressed England to carry out a serious investigation
into his suspicion that his England team mates Graeme Swann and James
Anderson were feeding information to the parody Twitter account - KP
Genius - in a prolonged stalemate that continues to dog attempts to
reintegrate him into the England team.
Pietersen has made an England investigation a central part of any
rapprochement with England. Initial meetings with the England coach,
Andy Flower, a week ago failed to find immediate common ground for a
resumption of his international career.
Selectors are due to announce in the next few days the Test squad to
tour India. He was also not named in England's list of central contracts
for 2012 although it was indicated that other names could be added.
The account, which suggested Pietersen was vainglorious and obsessed by
money, was followed by several members of the team and, at times, even
elicited a good-humoured response from Pietersen before his attitude
abruptly changed as his relationships with the ECB and his England team
mates deteriorated.
Richard Bailey, a cricket lover who shares a house with a couple of
members of the Nottinghamshire team and is a friend of England's T20
captain Stuart Broad, had admitted he was behind the account and insists
no-one else was involved.
Broad has denied any involvement or knowledge of the account and it has
subsequently been discontinued. An ESPNcricinfo investigation also
exonerated Broad and suggested that Bailey was the only person
responsible.
But Pietersen remains convinced that other England players were involved
- and he has made his feelings clear. If he is to reach what he views
as a fair compromise with his reputation intact and with an admission of
faults on both sides then it seems that he is not prepared to let this
matter rest. Whether a dressing room could knit together again after
such a lengthy dispute is questionable.
Specifically he feels that the contents of private conversations between
him, Anderson and Swann were referenced in various tweets. As a
consequence, Pietersen feels he has been the victim of double standards
after being disciplined for sending private messages to members of the
South Africa touring party that contained derogatory comments about
recently retired England Test
captain Andrew Strauss.
ESPNcricinfo is not aware that Pietersen has provided definite proof that either Swann or Anderson were directly involved.
The episode is a headache that will not go away for Flower. Coming days
before England depart for Sri Lanka in an attempt to defend their World
T20 title and days before they name their Test squad for the tour of
India, it is a distraction that he and the players could well do
without. If Pietersen has hard evidence to support his views - and it is
hard to see how he does - then the results could be devastating.
With both sides apparently too entrenched in their views to accept an
amnesty, it is also hard to see a happy ending to a saga that
continues to damage the individuals and the England team.
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: George Dobell
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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