The KP conundrum

Sreemoy Talukdar | September 18, 2010

The rapid rise and fall of Kevin Pietersen has defied belief. What ails arguably the most talented batsman to represent England in recent times? Ever since he burst on to the scene in 2004, the dude with peroxidedyed hair broke all conventions, both on the field and off it. From his switch hit to his Twitter outburst to the dramatic relinquishing of captaincy to a cocksureness that sits better on a rock star, the naturalised Englishman has always been a bit of a maverick. All that ceased to matter, though, whenever he took up the cudgels, picked up the bat and proceeded to deconstruct the world's best bowlers on a 22-yard strip.

Sadly, that sight has become rarer.

As the season nears completion, it's becoming increasingly clear that England's 1, 000-watt bulb is getting dimmer and dimmer by the day. A careful look reveals that the decline hasn't been as rapid as England's selectors would like to believe. Pietersen, by nature or design, has been suffering an unprecedented low in his international career for almost two years now. So bad has been his form, especially in One-dayers, where he scored only 153 runs from nine ODIs at an average of 17. 00 in 2010, and 132 runs in eight matches at 18. 85 in 2009, that he was omitted from England's ODI squad against the visiting Pakistan team last month.

On being axed, a bitter Pietersen let loose his politically incorrect instincts, tweeting an expletive-ridden post and subsequently apologising to the England and Wales Cricket Board. The ECB promptly decided it was time for Pietersen to go back to the county grind to regain some confidence ahead of the Ashes in November.

England can ill afford to lose him for that series, but there was a slight problem. Pietersen's county, Hampshire, for whom the South Africa-born cricketer has played all but one T20 match since 2005, decided that they don't need him any more. That suited Pietersen, since he was anyway unwilling to travel to Hampshire from his residence at Chelsea. But under ECB rules, one can no longer represent the national side unless affiliated to a county.

The ECB brokered a loan move between Surrey and Hampshire and Pietersen was asked to help out Surrey till the remainder of the season. The former England captain's spell with Surrey has so far brought mixed results. He scored a 116 against Sussex in the CB40 series, but fell for a duck against Glamorgan in the county championship. That he was not happy with the new arrangement became clear when Pietersen sought permission for a short-term loan move, this time to his native place in South Africa, to the Durban-based Dolphins. The October 7-17 stint, which was cleared from both sides, will enable him to play two four-day matches.

The wheel has come full circle for Pietersen, who will not be paid for the stint. Strangely, it takes him back to where his cricket career started, before he opted for England. And as he waits upon his immediate and long-term future with England, it is in South Africa that he must find his touch.

By all accounts, Pietersen's tale has been one of befuddlement and intrigue. Before his spectacular fall, he was touted to break all English batting records. Initially, the star did not disappoint, becoming the fastest batsman to reach both 1, 000 and 2, 000 runs in ODIs and also being the quickest in terms of time to 5, 000 Test runs. Pietersen also has the highest average of any England player to have played more than 20 innings of One-day cricket. He has the second-highest run total from his first 25 Tests, behind only Don Bradman. He was the fastest player, in terms of days, to reach 4, 000 Test runs. He became only the third English batsman to top the ODI rankings in March 2007. Shane Warne even wrote in a column that "I don't think Pietersen has an obvious flaw in his technique". No wonder England are sweating over this unexpected patch of bad form.

What went wrong? And how can the ECB get the best out of him? The answers probably lie deep within Pietersen's strained psyche. His megalomaniacal ways haven't endeared him to teammates wherever he has played. Former England captain Michael Vaughan once said, "KP is not a confident person. He obviously has great belief in his ability, but that's not quite the same thing. And I know KP wants to be loved. I try to text him and talk to him as often as I can because I know he is insecure."

In a bare-all interview recently with an English news channel, Pietersen admitted that he was suffering from a loss of confidence. It hasn't helped that luck has deserted him. In the Lord's Test against Pakistan last month, post hours of practice, Pietersen flayed wildly at his first delivery from Mohammad Aamer, edged and made his way back to the dressing room for a duck. Was it the stroke of a desperate man trying to hit his way out of trouble or that of a man who was challenging his fate in the only way he knows?

After all, faced with a similar situation two years ago at Edgbaston, the more plebian Paul Collingwood had waged war against the odds and gone on to make a career-saving hundred. Given that Pietersen's success depends on his confidence, has the ECB done the right thing by dropping him ahead of the Ashes? Is it justified to treat Pietersen at par with a Collingwood or an Ian Bell, who are blessed with more diligence than talent? Would it have been better to keep playing him till he came good, which he inevitably must?

But then cricket is a team game and one standard must apply for all. Pietersen has shown intent by opting for hard work. Perhaps a week without media glare in his home town of Durban might help him rediscover the mojo. Either that, or England's fortunes are bound to plummet along with Pietersen's.