Kevin Pietersen this morning signed a four-month England contract but, according to Zimbabwean coach Andy Flower, Pietersen must undergo a ‘reintegration’ to make sure he is ready to return to the England fold.
The controversy started when, on May 31 2012, Pietersen announced his retirement from all forms of international limited-overs cricket. This was a decision that many felt had more to do with building a money-making IPL career than prolonging his successful test career, which started in the memorable Ashes victory of 2005. Many in the England hierarchy were unhappy with this announcement.
The disagreements between player and team escalated when Pietersen was dropped by England for the third and final test against South Africa this summer for allegedly sending ‘provocative’ text messages to members of the South African team. He has since apologised to Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss. Pietersen apologised via YouTube and stated his commitment to all forms of international cricket.
He was not named in the squad for either the ICC World Twenty20, the final of which takes place on Sunday, and the England test tour squad to India. However rumours have been circulating for the last few days that he may have been on the brink of a return to international cricket.
Pietersen has said "I'm fairly happy we're able to move forward. It's been a horrible situation for all those involved and I'm happy we're able to draw a line under it and move on for a better result for England cricket."
He especially wanted to clarify that he did not convey tactical information to the South African team. The South-African born batsman ended his statement by saying ‘"Thankfully we have drawn a line under it and can move forward. Although it has been made clear in the statement, I'd like to make it clear that at no time did I share tactical information with any of the South Africans. I'm committed to completing the reintegration process we have agreed and representing England in all formats, hopefully until the World Cup in 2015 if my body allows. I want to see my son grow up seeing me play for England and hope one day he will put an England shirt on himself.
Naturally this latest development has started a wave of betting, with Skybet offering numerous betting specials, including offering 6/1 on Pietersen to score a hundred in the opening innings of the first Test against India. A fifty is priced at 9/4. As a man who thrives under pressure, these look decent odds, and are much better than 16/1 on a first innings duck or, yet more unlikely, 100/1 on his first pair of ducks in tests. Pietersen is 5/2 to be England’s top run-scorer in the series, which they are 4/1 to win.
0 Comments
