SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 12, 2014
England captain admits lying in bed thinking about the way forward and ‘the decisions that go with that’ as debate about the leading batsman continues, writes Stephen Brenkley in Melbourne. By Stephen Brenkley
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TURBULENT period in English cricket – another turbulent period in English cricket, that is – was given one of its abiding images yesterday. “I would be wrong if I said I wasn’t lying in my bed in the last week or so, thinking about the stuff I’d like to do, how I would like to lead this side forward and the decisions that go with that,” said Alastair Cook Tossing and turning, possibly shaking and shivering, Cook has been digesting the tumult that has befallen his side in seven weeks. It was not only the 5-0 defeat to Australia in the Ashes series, though that was as grim as it can become for an England cricketer, and Cook has now gone through it twice, once as a junior opening batsman seven years ago, now as captain. But the immediate aftermath of the final, most depressing, loss in Sydney brought with it claims, counterclaims and denials of a breakdown in relations between Andy Flower, the side’s coach whose official title is team director, and Kevin Pietersen, the former captain and undoubted star turn. It has dominated, occasionally overwhelmed, the agenda, and the start of the one-day series, in which Pietersen is not playing, was virtually forgotten. In the days since the tourists folded so wretchedly in 31.4 overs to lose the Fifth Test by an innings and 281 runs, a failure in which Pietersen played a full part, everything and nothing has happened. It will come to be seen as the latest episode of a saga which has at various times haunted and glorified the English game for 10 years. It may yet be the penultimate part. Flower should have suspected something was afoot when he was specifically asked about Pietersen’s future in his briefing to the press the day after the series ended. He played a dead bat to inquiries, as he did to almost every question in one of his least forthcoming interview sessions. The trouble with saying almost nothing to the press is that they then make their own inquiries, often discreetly, almost always off the record. It is a sporting version of the lobby system
50 balls. Instead, Smith exploded to make 65 off 48 before Arafat dismissed him with a slower ball in the 18th over. Arafat cleaned bowled Nathan Lyon two balls later to leave the Sixers requiring 23 runs off 14 balls with two wickets in hand. But Brett Lee and Chris Tremlett took 14 from Thomas’ fourth over, the 19th, to put the pressure back on Arafat. The Pakistan international conceded four runs from the first three balls of the last over when he only had six to play with. He then bowled Lee with an inswinging yorker. Josh Hazlewood scrambled a single to leave Tremlett needing two for the win and one for a tie from the final ball. Arafat misfielded Tremlett’s drive back to him and the resulting single forced the One-Over Eliminator. Jason Behrendorff was overshadowed by the adventures of Arafat. His opening burst of 3 for 21 decimated the Sixers top order. He was on a hat-trick in his second
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Alastair Cook’s sleepless nights over Kevin Pietersen future
in politics, and it can be quite as pernicious. There was general talk of the end of an era, though Flower, Cook and everybody else have declined to deal in specifics. Since Pietersen has been a running story for 10 years, the gift that keeps on giving, his was the name in the frame. It seems to be agreed that Piet-ersen was a pain in the rear towards the end of the Ashes. He had not been in good form, and although he played with abundant common sense at times, there were plenty of the peccadilloes which have marked his entire career. Although England’s leading run- scorer in the series, he has not been able to allay the feeling that he is a player going down the other side of the mountain (though he is not alone in that). When the series was surrendered, Pietersen’s passion for it was reduced accordingly. The suggestion is he was not being a good team man, and this would have irked Flower. It may be remembered that when Pietersen was reintegrated into the side after his monumental disagreement in the summer of 2012 he apologised to his teammates and looked forward to “recommencing my career until at least 2015 as long as my body allows”. In the past few weeks some of the old Pietersen appears to have surfaced, perhaps brought on by the horror of the defeat, perhaps by a sense that as a senior player he was not sufficiently part of the decision- making process. By contrast, however, he felt more comfortable in the dressing room because of the retirement of his old enemy, Graeme Swann. The fact is that Swann had a common touch that Pietersen could never emulate. Flower’s failure to give Pietersen his unequivocal backing for the future naturally raised questions. Pietersen, too, was initially miffed, but it was explained to him that if Flower had deliberately backed Pietersen, he would have had to do the same for other senior players whose futures are on the line, such as Ian Bell and Jimmy Anderson, and who might have been themselves upset had they not been mentioned. Pietersen was mollified by this. It is probably fair to say that Flower and Pietersen are not bosom pals. They were both born in South Africa, are both earning their livings in English cricket, but they are not cut from
the same cloth. After England were knocked out of the World Twenty20 in Colombo in late 2012, Flower was asked if Pietersen was a good man. Pietersen had not played in the tournament because of his disagreement with management, and was days away from starting his period of reintegration. Flower replied: “I think he’s a... I think we all have good and bad in us, all of us.” The relationship has latterly been built on a mutual, slightly grudging respect of each other’s abilities. This was slow in coming from Pietersen, who had Flower in his sights as part of his intended coup of the coaching staff when he was captain in late 2008. It seems bizarre now to think he was ever captain of England. If Flower was not particularly well disposed towards Pietersen at the end of the Ashes, he had certainly made no decisions about Pietersen’s future role in the England team. Nor were relations between the pair anywhere near as frosty as they had been in 2012, when the rumpus about Pietersen’s personal demands and his relations with South Africa, England’s opponents, brought a temporary end to his career. Paul Downton, the new managing director of England cricket, might have had cause to wonder what on earth he has walked into. Flower and Cook are both safe in their roles unless Downton, who has as yet expressed no public opinions, decides revolution is the only way – and he will not. All involved have revealed just enough to indicate that there will be changes, that not everyone can survive and that rebuilding has to mean what it says. Pietersen, Bell, Anderson all have to be part of that. It might be handy for Pietersen if he were to tell his pal, Piers Morgan, to shut up. Morgan may think he is helping poor old Kev’s defence by tweeting as assiduously as he does. He is not. But that does not seem to have occurred to either of them. At the end of that briefing in Colombo 15 months ago this reporter said to Flower: “Whatever happens now, it will eventually all end in tears.” Flower did not demur. He probably knew it then, he almost certainly knows it now. (The Independent)
Four West Indies players retained by IPL teams
Arafat holds his nerve in One-Over Eliminator
YASIR Arafat took 2 for 1 in his One-Over Eliminator to deliver the Perth Scorchers a thrilling victory over the Sydney Sixers. Following a tie to send the game into the first One-Over Eliminator in BBL history Arafat clean bowled Steve Smith with a slower ball first ball of the over. Then, after Nic Maddinson had faced a dot and scored a single, Moises Henriques sliced a catch to backward point to bag the BBL’s first-ever unofficial pair and leave the Scorchers needing two runs to win. Adam Voges struck the first ball from Brett Lee for four send the Scorchers to second on the BBL table. Arafat was the sole reason for the tied game in the first place, as he experienced the highs and lows of T20 cricket in the Sixers’ nail-biting chase. He dropped Steve Smith at third man off Alfonso Thomas when the Sixers captain was on 27. It would have left the Sixers 6 for 79 needing 75 to win from
Brett Lee picked up career-best T20 figures of 4 for 28. over courtesy of deliveries that found the outside edges of both the right-handed Henriques and the left-handed Marcus North. Earlier Brett Lee had produced a similar burst, taking two wickets in the first over of the match after the Scorchers won the toss. His pace was too much for Craig Simmons and Mitch Marsh. Lee finished with career-best T20 figures of 4 for 28. B e t w e e n L e e ’s t w o spells a partnership of 129 between Simon Katich and Sam Whiteman set up the Scorchers total, before Lee castled Whiteman for 54. Katich made 71. Adam Voges chimed in with 19 from eight balls to tick the total to 153. As it turned out the Scorchers needed every last run. (ESPN Cricinfo)
DWAYNE Bravo is the lone foreign player to be retained by Chennai Super Kings for the 2014 edition of the highly popular Indian Premiere League. Bravo joins Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina as the players retained by CSK for this season. Kieron Pollard has been retained by the defending champions and winners of the Champions League T20 last year, Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians have retained a full five players including Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga and Ambati Rayudu, who all played a key role in their double success in the previous edition. According to an official release from the franchise, Mumbai Indians’ owner Nita Ambani said, “The formidable combination of these five players – Rohit, Pol-
Sunil Narine lard, Malinga, Bhajji and Rayudu – forms the nucleus of Mumbai Indians. They have exemplified the spirit of Mumbai Indians and are match-winners in their own right. With the retention of the core players, Mumbai Indians look forward to build a stronger, well-knit team and share the joy of an enthralling and entertaining performance with its ever-growing fans in the
Kieron Pollard coming season.” Kolkata Knight Riders have retained mystery spinner Sunil Narine and captain Gautam Gambhir for the 2014 season. The three join Chris Gayle as the only other West Indian players to have been retained by their teams. Gayle has been retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore.