London, June 27: It’s been barely six months since Kevin Pietersen was unceremoniously dumped as the England captain after his email to the ECB seeking the removal of the-then coach Peter Moores was leaked to the media.
However, Pietersen believes that the fall-out that happened then, helped players let out some of their frustrations and has now ensured that the dressing room is a much happier place.
Initially, it did seem as if England would implode under the weight of the controversy, as they were shot out for 51 at Jamaica against the West Indies, but they have slowly but surely inched their way up the ladder of competence.
They dominated the rest of the series, even though they ended up on the losing side, with Gayle’s ultra-defensive tactics ensuring that the West Indies protected their 1-0 lead, but then took sweet revenge when the Windies came to England.
The twenty20 World Cup also saw them regroup well after the loss to Netherlands, when they beat Pakistan and India, and had a potentially compelling match against the West Indies ruined by rain.
“It was horrible to watch that match [against Netherlands] really,” said Andrew Strauss, who sat out the tournament. “To be fair, that could have been quite a big moment in the context of the summer if we didn’t come back from that, but what really encouraged me was that the guys had two die-or-die fixtures against India and Pakistan and won them both.”
Pietersen spoke of the upbeat attitude ahead of the first Test in Cardiff on July 8. “The team is so happy, everyone knows how excited we are, and how everyone’s gelled,” he was quoted as saying by the website cricinfo.
“We’ve seen how Andy Flower has settled into his job and how well Straussy [Andrew Strauss] is doing.
“That’s the reason I did what I did in January. The team wasn’t happy, things weren’t right and England cricket was going nowhere. But I believe in the last six months the team has made big progress before a huge, huge series against Australia. I’m very happy, and everyone’s happy.”
Under Moores’ dogmatic guidance, he felt that England’s players had not been permitted enough of a say in the day-to-day running of team affairs, but with Flower and Strauss at the helm, all such problems have dissipated.
“If things hadn’t changed, I wouldn’t have been as confident as I am now [about winning back the Ashes],” he added. “This team has done well enough in the last six months to challenge Australia. I’m not going to say we are going to win, I’m just going to say we’ll be alright. It’s about the way we’ve played, the happiness in the dressing room, and the way the players have had a voice, and how they’ve wanted to go about doing things. It hasn’t just been one voice, but a collective among the management committee.
“Everybody can see the progress we’ve made,” said Pietersen. “It wasn’t just about January either. There were a lot of players who weren’t happy, and a lot of captains who weren’t happy as well. So fair dos to both Andys, they’ve been absolutely fantastic, and to all the players, they have all bought into it, and made sure we’re a happy dressing-room whether we win or we lose.”
Now all the focus is on England’s biggest challenge of the summer, and for Pietersen, who says he is now pain-free after the Achilles problems that have hampered his season, the prospect of renewing his rivalry with Australia is tantalising.
“A series like this grabs all your attention, and you can’t be thinking about anything else other than what’s coming now. But as professional sportsmen at the top of our games, it’s something we should thrive on and enjoy. Challenges like this come along every two or three years against Australia, and South Africa at the end of the year will be just as tough. You’ve got to go out and enjoy them, you can’t wimp out of them.”
“I think whoever plays the best cricket over the 25 days will win the series,” he added. “I think we’ve got a good chance, but I don’t believe for one second that Australia are not as good a team without the likes of Warne and Gilchrist because their strength in depth is pretty good. It’s going to be very tough series, not easy at all. People say they are ripe for the taking and stuff, but I’m sure they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
—–Agencies