|
A year ago, England thought they could do without Kevin Pietersen.
They thought that the baggage he carries outweighs the gifts he brings;
that his ability on the pitch was negated by the problems in the
dressing room; that there were players in county cricket who could
compensate for his absence.
It was nonsense, of course. As England proved when they launched a
half-baked defence of their World Twenty20 title last September without
the man who led them to the title in 2010, Pietersen remains
indispensible. He is not only the best batsman in this team, he might
just be the best batsman England have ever had.
If that sounds excessive, it is worth reflecting that, during the course
of this innings, Pietersen became England's most prolific run-scorer in
the history of international cricket - a tally that combines all
formats of the game - surpassing the record of Graham Gooch. Such
statistics never tell the whole story, but they do tell a tale of
consistent excellence across all formats of the game.
It was exactly a year ago that we saw the most obvious demonstration of
the best and the worst of Pietersen. A majestic 149 against South Africa
at Leeds
was counterbalanced by the revelation that he had exchanged
less-than-flattering messages about his captain, Andrew Strauss, with
members of the opposition and behaved in a manner that did not always
encourage team harmony on the pitch and in the dressing room. "It's not
easy being me in that dressing room," Pietersen memorably complained in the post-match media conference.
Yet it so often looks remarkably easy to be Kevin Pietersen on the
pitch. While his team-mates, the sublime Ian Bell apart, stuttered
against Australia's admirable bowling attack and the mounting pressure
of the situation, Pietersen showed dedication and discipline - not
qualities that are always associated with his batting - as well as
characteristic skill in steering his side away from the rocks.
This was not vintage Pietersen. Bell, late cutting beautifully and using
his feet to the spin in a manner that would have made even Michael
Clarke proud, looked the more accomplished player throughout their
115-run stand. Pietersen, by contrast, played and missed often, not
least a nervous swipe outside off stump before he had scored, and was
fortune that Australia did call for a review of a leg-before shout when
he was on 62.
But those near misses might have helped Pietersen. Once set, he is prone
to extravagance - hubris, even - but the near-misses provided the jolt
he required to concentrate anew; to demand more of himself and remind
him that the team required more.
Even if this innings was not, compared to the mastery of Mumbai or the
carnage of Colombo, as eye-catching or inspiring, in terms of context of
the match and the series, this was a highly impressive performance. For
it was an innings not just based around Pietersen's natural skills -
his hand-eye coordination, his reach, his range of stokes, all though
there was evidence of all those qualities - but around the match
situation and the requirements of his team.
|
Kevin Pietersen's post-match press conference
|
|
"This innings will mean a lot more if it gets us a draw or a win on day
five," he said afterwards. "It's nice to have personal achievements, but
it will only mean something if we get something out of the game.
"It's the big stage. I like to perform on the big stage when the team
need me. I like to stand up and be counted. As an English or Australian
player your career is defined in how you play in Ashes cricket."
Such words are fine, but actions are far more revealing. Here, exactly a
year after he was dismissed for his lack of team spirit, Pietersen
reined in his natural instincts to leave the ball well, play straighter
than is his wont and resist all those natural urges to attack and
destroy to provide the contribution that team - a sometimes
not-so-grateful team - required. He took them, just as he did at The Oval in 2005, a step closer to retaining the Ashes. And there really is not much more an England batsman can do than that.
You get more with Pietersen, though. You get rasping pull strokes off
the seamers and fearless hitting down the ground off the spinners. And,
to bring up his century, he lifted a short ball over cover in imperious
fashion. Even at his most restrained, he is magnificent.
That England have not made this match safe already is due to a few
factors. Firstly Australia, after taking advantage of winning the toss,
have bowled and batted very well; secondly, due to another poor decision
by the TV umpire that saw Pietersen incorrectly adjudged leg-before to a
ball he had hit; and thirdly due to the continuing fragility of others
in the England top-order.
While Alastair Cook's relatively modest form can be overlooked - he has
been through this before and has earned the right to a great deal of
patience - there is more concern about the ongoing problems of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in their respective positions.
Root has enjoyed a fine start to his international career and, such is
the faith that the selectors have in him, is sure to win a lengthy trial
at the top of the order. But it is worth remembering that, even when he
made his century at Lord's, he survived an early edge past the keeper
that should have been taken and suggests he is yet to conquer his issues
with the new ball outside off stump. Had he been caught, he would have
failed to make 50 in seven innings as an opening batsman for England.
Bairstow remains unconvincing. He adds dynamism in the field and clearly
has ability as a stroke-making batsman that, aged 23, may develop into
something more tangible. But he will have to learn greater patience and
discipline outside off stump if he is to enjoy a successful career at
Test level. At present it is simply too easy to dismiss him.
Australia provided an example of the value of an allrounder in the
line-up. Shane Watson's miserly 15 overs not only eased the burden on
the main seamers, but maintained control throughout an attritional day.
England could do with such an option, though there are caveats with all
three of their own all-round options - Ravi Bopara, Ben Stokes and Rikki
Clarke - but each of them would add a bowling alternative while hardly
reducing the amount of runs coming from the No. 6 position at present.
Bairstow, it should be noted, currently averages 31.37 in his 11th Test;
slightly fewer than Nick Compton (31.93) when he was dropped.
England feel they can do without an allrounder at present. But what days
like this underline once again is that they cannot do without
Pietersen. It is to the benefit of the individual and the team that a
way has been found to manage and accommodate him. Talents like this
emerge very rarely.
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: George Dobell
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
No comments:
Post a Comment