Kevin Pietersen opened up on his controversial stay as captain of the England Cricket team which led to his sacking by the ECB.
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Just going by plain Cricketing numbers or statistics, Kevin Pietersen was and will remain a leading name when it comes to compiling a list of players who have adorned the game with their presence.
While his career fittingly deserves to be celebrated, it was one marred with plentiful controversies involving the ECB, his fellow former teammates, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) throughout the different phases of his Cricketing career.
The biggest of them all perhaps began post his appointment as England’s Test and ODI captain in 2008, when he replaced the likes of Michael Vaughan (in Tests) and Paul Collingwood (in ODIs).
While Pietersen kicked-off his captaincy career with a remarkable century and a Test win against South Africa, it unfortunately could last only for a couple of further Test matches, after which he was sacked from his post due to 1) A fallout with then England coach Peter Moores, and most importantly 2) the lack of backing he received from some of the senior members of the team, including Andrew Flintoff.
Kevin Pietersen opened up on his controversial stay as captain
In 2017, three years since he was sacked from the England side after a 0-5 Ashes series loss in Australia in 2014, Pietersen reminisced his less than five months stint as skipper, only to term the phase and the entire year (2008) as the worst one of his life.
“I was under strict protocols. They tell you where you have be, you have to ask to do this and that. I had the best time playing for England. I wouldn’t live here if I didn’t love England. There have been hurdles. I was under the microscope. When I was captain, it was the worst year of my life. I took stock and gauged what and who was important,” Pietersen was quoted as saying to news.com.au.
“That massive fallout I had with England raised my profile and assisted and enabled me to turn a bad thing into a good thing. People think, ‘Cricket, cricket, cricket’. Well, stuff cricket. It means that what Jess and the kids have now is so special. I’ve got such a wonderful life. I wouldn’t want to be back on that England treadmill. It becomes monotonous,” he further added.
At the same breath, the right-handed batter also termed it as the ‘best thing of his life’ at hindsight, as he was then able to spend more time with his kids.
“That sacking and the hullabaloo it caused for six months has been the best thing for my life. Now I wake up with the kids, put them to bed, take them and pick them up from school. I watch most of Dylan’s sport. I will hands down see my kids more than a lot of people. I’m now hopefully being the best dad my kids could have. All I care about is my family and my African roots,” Pietersen had remarked.
The now 41-year-old, had captained in a total of three Tests (one against South Africa and two against India) in 2008, and had won two while lost one against India at Chennai.
It was post the Chennai Test, that tensions simmered up between him and coach Moores, where Pietersen had explicably told the ECB to chose one of him or Peter Moores to stay in the team.
Ultimately, both the captain-coach duo were axed from their respective posts in January 2009.
Along with three Tests, Pietersen also captained in a total of 12 ODIs for England and won 4 of them.
