After tea, on the third day of the second Test match between England and South Africa the atmosphere at Leeds became electrifying. A batsman, who was restrained till then, suddenly broke free to punish one of the lethal bowling attacks in Test cricket of modern era with one of the finest display of self-belief. It was extraordinary, it was brilliant and it was jaw- dropping. Kevin Pietersen’s mind was not cluttered by his stand-off with the ECB officials, but instead he scripted a magical knock to leave everyone spell bound.
There was still something for the bowlers in that Leeds track. But it became an irrelevance. Since he was being reprieved, KP thought himself invincible and unleashed a brutal assault. He stood tall and strong against Mokel, Steyn and Kallis to command full authority. As David Hopps described, “He flung his front leg to the leg side, to haul a succession of short balls from Morkel riskily above and beyond three boundary catchers, causing South Africa to abandon the ploy prematurely; he stood tall to drill Dale Steyn through point; and he met Jacques Kallis with the whippiest of straight drives.”
Attiude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. To control a drastic situation a drastic approach is much needed. On a track which was showing uneven bounce to make life difficult for the batsmen , KP took the challenge and went berzerk to dazzle the Leeds crowd. Till now, KP might not be considered amongst the all-time greats, but on that day the world witnessed greatness in full swing. The world, again, came to know how special a talent KP is.
Very few in Test cricket can transform an attritional day of cricket in to a reviting one. Very few dare to go aggressive and sail the ship against the tide. KP belongs to those rare species of cricket.
But the recent saga between KP and ECB have created an unhealthy enviroment which might trigger his retirement from Test cricket. Mind you he has already announced his unavailability from ODIs and T20Is. After the Leeds Test news broke that, “Kevin Pietersen could have played his last game for England after conceding that there were deep, perhaps irrepairable, divisions with the ECB and some other members of the England dressing room.” (cricinfo)
Not an impressive news to cherish at all. Test cricket is in need of such special talents. It’s never a happy thing to witness the premature end of a talent who is all set to claim a place amongst the all-time greats. It’s very important to save such talents. The presence of such special diamonds are critical to keep the flame of Test cricket shine brightly once and for all.
Whatever the issues, whatever the reasons are there between the English cricket officials and KP they must be solved for the sake of Test cricket. KP must not forget which platform has given him the stardom while the ECB must not forget those players who have essayed an absolute purple patch for England in Test cricket in recent times.
Great players don’t surface in Test cricket easily and the emergence of T20 cricket has dried up the production of true greats in Test cricket. So, if KP says goodbye to Test cricket then Test cricket will be poorer. The preservation of KP is important to glorify the white and green canvas of Test cricket.
Save Kevin Pietersen!
There was still something for the bowlers in that Leeds track. But it became an irrelevance. Since he was being reprieved, KP thought himself invincible and unleashed a brutal assault. He stood tall and strong against Mokel, Steyn and Kallis to command full authority. As David Hopps described, “He flung his front leg to the leg side, to haul a succession of short balls from Morkel riskily above and beyond three boundary catchers, causing South Africa to abandon the ploy prematurely; he stood tall to drill Dale Steyn through point; and he met Jacques Kallis with the whippiest of straight drives.”
Attiude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. To control a drastic situation a drastic approach is much needed. On a track which was showing uneven bounce to make life difficult for the batsmen , KP took the challenge and went berzerk to dazzle the Leeds crowd. Till now, KP might not be considered amongst the all-time greats, but on that day the world witnessed greatness in full swing. The world, again, came to know how special a talent KP is.
Very few in Test cricket can transform an attritional day of cricket in to a reviting one. Very few dare to go aggressive and sail the ship against the tide. KP belongs to those rare species of cricket.
But the recent saga between KP and ECB have created an unhealthy enviroment which might trigger his retirement from Test cricket. Mind you he has already announced his unavailability from ODIs and T20Is. After the Leeds Test news broke that, “Kevin Pietersen could have played his last game for England after conceding that there were deep, perhaps irrepairable, divisions with the ECB and some other members of the England dressing room.” (cricinfo)
Not an impressive news to cherish at all. Test cricket is in need of such special talents. It’s never a happy thing to witness the premature end of a talent who is all set to claim a place amongst the all-time greats. It’s very important to save such talents. The presence of such special diamonds are critical to keep the flame of Test cricket shine brightly once and for all.
Whatever the issues, whatever the reasons are there between the English cricket officials and KP they must be solved for the sake of Test cricket. KP must not forget which platform has given him the stardom while the ECB must not forget those players who have essayed an absolute purple patch for England in Test cricket in recent times.
Great players don’t surface in Test cricket easily and the emergence of T20 cricket has dried up the production of true greats in Test cricket. So, if KP says goodbye to Test cricket then Test cricket will be poorer. The preservation of KP is important to glorify the white and green canvas of Test cricket.
Save Kevin Pietersen!
