The Mixer

Kevin Pietersen should be dropped. He’s not scored a hundred in any of his last 28 innings and averages a meagre 35. If you discount Bangladesh, he averages 22. That’s in 18 months of cricket. That’s like having Heath Streak batting number 4. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Heath Streak as much as the next man, but he shouldn’t be batting number 4 for England. Don’t bother pointing out that he can’t play for England because he’s not English. When did that ever stop anyone?

That’s settled then. Pietersen should be dropped. Right?

Wrong. This Ashes series is made for KP. It’s come at just the right time.

For two years in 2007 and 2008, Pietersen was essentially a one man band in the England batting line-up. If KP didn’t score runs, England were in trouble. In that period, in which he played 23 test matches, he averaged 50. That’s like having Brian Lara batting at number 4 for England, or Viv Richards, or Sunil Gavaskar. He averaged a full 10 runs higher than any other England batsman in the same period. He was, in short, awesome.

The pressure on Pietersen was immense. Every time he went out to bat, he did so in the knowledge that if he didn’t score runs England would struggle to post a match-winning total. Of those 23 games, England won 8, with Pietersen averaging 60. In the 7 games they lost, Pietersen averaged 25. (He actually averaged highest in drawn games – 69). Either way, when KP didn’t score runs, England didn’t win. That’s a hell of a lot of pressure on one man – pressure that reached its peak with his short spell as England captain, and the soap opera style bust up with Peter Moores that ensued. Since that point, KP hasn’t been the same man.

From England’s go-to-guy, bristling with confidence and aggression, KP has become a shadow of his former self, scratching around, desperately trying not to get out the latest part-time left arm spinner that’s been summoned to torment him. Two years ago, it would have been inconceivable that Pietersen would be dropped from any form of the game. So England’s decision to leave him out of the one day series against Pakistan this summer shows just how far his stock has fallen. KP is no longer the man that England rely on. It’s a shame. But in a way, it’s been a blessing in disguise. England learned to live without him, win without him. These days, he’s just another player. And that’s why Australia should be worried.

England are a very good side without Pietersen at his best. They’ve already won the Ashes once without him and, judging by the early tour form of the rest of England’s batsmen, they could well do so again. But imagine what they’d be like if they had the old Kevin Pietersen back. How good would they be then? This series could be the moment we find out.

Now the pressure’s off. KP doesn’t need to carry the team anymore. He doesn’t need to worry about single-handedly keeping England in the game. He can go out and play with freedom and attack Australia, just as he did when he made his debut in 2005. He now knows that he’s surrounded by good players – players that will graft and get a score on the board. He doesn’t need to worry about keeping England in the game – he can go out there and win it. Two hours of Trott and Collingwood will put England in a decent position. Two hours of Pietersen could win them a test. That’s why he should be encouraged to go out and attack. It won’t work every time, but it doesn’t have to.

The driving force behind Pietersen’s early success was the desire to prove to everyone just how good he was. He relished playing on the biggest stage against the best players, the best teams and proving his worth against them. And he succeeded. Few batsmen have treated Warne, McGrath and Muralitharan, the three best bowlers of a generation, quite the way Pietersen did. For the man they call the Ego, this is the perfect opportunity. The world is watching. He can forget everything else, and just show the world how good he is. KP – don’t worry about batting for the team, just bat for yourself, and take Australia to the cleaners in the process.