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| Smith on KP as England captain |
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Patrick Compton August 05 2008 at 07:18AM |
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Few people would have predicted that two South Africans would walk out to toss in the fourth and final Test at the Oval starting on Thursday. Relations between Pietersen and South Africa's captain, Graeme Smith, who is seven months younger than Pietersen - have been famously bad for some years following Pietersen's attack on the South African racial quota system when he quit South Africa to make his career in England. However, it appears that the two men have agreed to let bygones be bygones. After being reminded on Monday that he had called Smith a "muppet" in his autobiography, Pietersen laughingly described that as water under the bridge. "That's all in the past. We're getting on very well at the moment. Graeme (who struck an unbeaten 154 at Edgbaston) played like a superstar on Saturday, and he sunk us. Hopefully he won't play an innings like that against us while I'm captain." Smith isn't convinced that the England selectors have made the right decision. Speaking late on Sunday night in his team hotel in Birmingham, Smith said: "KP will always get you runs as a player, but I think the captaincy might curb his flair as a batter. "I thought they might appoint a younger bloke, someone like Alastair Cook, and build him up. That's what happened with me." Former England coach Duncan Fletcher, who now lives in Cape Town, echoed Smith's remarks, saying he would have chosen Andrew Strauss for the job. "I'd be very worried that it will have a negative effect on Pietersen's batting. He's a good, thinking cricketer, but it will be crucial how he relates to his team-mates." England made the announcement at a lunchtime press conference at Lord's on Monday. One of the key factors in Pietersen's appointment was that the selectors wanted one captain for all three (Test, ODI and T20) forms of the game, rather than the split captaincy method they adopted over the last year with Vaughan and Collingwood as the leaders. "I'm very thrilled and excited to have been given the opportunity to captain England," said Pietersen. "It's a huge honour and a terrific challenge for me. "I have learned a great deal about leadership from playing under both Michael and Paul and fully appreciate the level of responsibility that comes with the job. "My immediate priority will be this week's Test, and I will be devoting all my energies to ensuring that the team are properly prepared and play to their full potential." National selector Geoff Miller, who heads the selection panel that chose Pietersen, confirmed that his role as an established member of all three international teams was a key factor. Miller explained: "In choosing a new captain, we were keen to identify a player who could lead the team in all three forms of cricket, and bring fresh enthusiasm and ideas to the role of captain. "Kevin is a world-class player who will command the respect of the dressing room, and I am sure he will be looking to lead from the front and work closely with both the players and the coaching staff to bring England success in the future." Eager While Pietersen, who is inexperienced as a captain, said he would seek advice from experienced team-mates, he also insisted that he was eager to stamp his own imprint on the team. "This was an emotional decision and it was right to speak to my wife Jessica, my mum and dad and my brothers. I then went to see the coach (Peter Moores) and we had a really good meeting. It's all about looking forward now, and making sure we achieve what we want to. "I will always respect what has happened in the past, and I will always respect what Michael did and what my predecessors did," he added. "I will always look for advice because I'm new in this job, and I've had calls and messages from the senior players in the squad. Once you have the support of the lads around you, you can't ask for any more. "But I'll have my own ways. It's a brand new test, and a bright new challenge for me. "I've gained a good cricket brain in terms of what I think about. The way I play, I like to do what I feel is right instinctively." Asked if he would continue to attempt the kind of strokes that cost him his wicket on 94 at Edgbaston, Pietersen replied in the affirmative. "That's the kind of positive approach that's helped me be successful. It's my gut instinct in my batting." Meanwhile, Ravi Bopara has replaced Vaughan in the England squad for Thursday's Test. Vaughan has decided to take a break from the game after stepping down from his role as England captain, and Bopara has been added to the 13-man squad. Steve Harmison is again in the party and is favoured to play after being overlooked for the last Test at Edgbaston. Kevin Pietersen fact file 1980: Born June 27 in Pietermaritzburg, the son of an Afrikaans father and English mother. Attended Maritzburg College. 1997-98: Makes his first-class debut for Natal. Initially seen as an off-spinning all-rounder capable of useful runs down the order. Offered junior contract by the province, but feels he is being discriminated against because of preference for all-rounder Gulam Bodi. Quits South Africa for England. 2001: Joins Nottinghamshire with a view to qualifying as an England player of the future. Scores 1 275 first-class runs at an average of 57.95 in his first season at Trent Bridge. 2002: Awarded his county cap. 2003: Averages more than 50 with the bat for the third season running, but becomes disenchanted with his county employers and threatens to sue for unfair dismissal, even though relegated Nottinghamshire insist he has not been sacked. 2005: Quits Nottinghamshire and joins Hampshire. 2005: January: Joins the England squad for their seven-match limited-overs series in his native South Africa, where the home crowds give him a frosty reception. February: Registers maiden, unbeaten century with 108 in the second match in Bloemfontein. Scores further centuries during that series in East London and in the final match in Centurion. The 116 he scored in the final match of the series prompts the crowd, who have abused him throughout the series, to give him a standing ovation. Chairperson of selectors David Graveney claims it is the 'greatest one-day innings I have ever seen' as Pietersen collects the man-of-the-series award. Reaches 500 one-day international runs in the fastest time in history. May 2005: Overlooked for England Test series against Bangladesh despite public clamour for his inclusion. July 14: Named in England Test squad ahead of Graham Thorpe. July 20: Named in starting XI for first Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's. July 24: Scores 57 and 64 on debut, but is criticised for his poor performance in the field, particularly dropped catches, as Australia crush England by 239 runs. August 7: Contributes 71 off 76 balls in the first innings as England win by two runs in the second Test at Edgbaston. September 12: Scores a fantastic century to rescue England, who claim the Ashes with a draw in the final Test at The Oval. Rewarded for his summer performances with an England Cricket Board central contract. 2006: May: Becomes the first batsman since Graham Gooch in 1990 to score a century in three successive Test innings on English soil, with 142 in the second Test against Sri Lanka. 2007: January: Widely judged to be England's best player in the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia, scoring 490 runs in five matches and averaging over 50. Is hit in the ribs by Glenn McGrath in the Commonwealth Bank ODI series which forces him to miss the rest of the series. April: Scores 104 runs off 122 balls against Australia in the Super Eight stage of the World Cup. It is the first World Cup century by an Englishman since 1996, and the first against Australia in the tournament. In England's final match of the World Cup against the West Indies, Pietersen makes 100 from 91 balls. May: Posts his highest score of 226 in the second Test against the West Indies at Headingley, which is the highest Test score for England since Gooch scored 333 against India in 1990. Moves ahead of Everton Weekes and Richards to be the batsman with the second-highest run total, behind Don Bradman, out of his first 25 Tests. December: Marries former Liberty X singer Jessica Taylor, passes 3 000 Test runs during the tour of Sri Lanka. 2008: June: Uses the innovative 'switch hit' in the ODI series against New Zealand - smashing Scott Styris for two sixes - which causes debate. Pietersen defends the use of the shot, and the MCC rule that it is legal. July10/11: Strikes a brilliant 152 in his first Test against his old country at Lord's. August 2: England lose Test series against South Africa. August 4: Replaces Michael Vaughan as Test captain, and also takes over as one-day skipper from Collingwood.
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