KP must urn his spot
Pietersen will benefit from time off international stage, says Nick
Last updated: 19th October 2010
Knight: selection must be on merit
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"Get Pietersen out of the system and into the Ashes - he'll be on fire there."
Nick Knight
Quotes of the week
Dropping Kevin Pietersen from England's limited overs side is the perfect way to fire the struggling batsman up for the Ashes.
That's the view of Nick Knight, who told Sky Sports News that Pietersen does not deserve a place in England's squad for the upcoming Twenty20 and one-day internationals against Pakistan.
Pietersen was man of the series in England's World Twenty20 title triumph in the Caribbean earlier this year but has since struggled for runs and finished the recent Test series with an average of 23.33.
"I wouldn't have picked him," said Knight. "These fixtures coming up are not there just for Kevin Pietersen to find some form.
"They are there for the England selectors to pick a team that is going to beat Pakistan in Twenty20 and one-day games, leading forward to the winter.
"I don't know Kevin particularly well, but I look at him in the eye and when I see him interviewed and play like everybody else I don't think he looks a man who is going to score runs right now.
"He looks a little bit lost for Kevin Pietersen. For all the bravado, for all that we normally expect and get from Kevin Pietersen he looks a little bit lost.
"So for me he goes out of the system, he goes back to county cricket - Surrey will take him on - he goes there and maybe plays a bit of club cricket to get some form.
"He's got no defence or method at the moment. He's a wonderful player in the making but I'm afraid he has no right to stay in the England side while he's playing like that."
Shaking
Pietersen was not the only England batsman to underperform this summer; despite scoring a hundred in the third Test at the Oval, Alastair Cook averaged 23.85 across seven Test innings against Pakistan while Paul Collingwood mustered just 119 runs at 19.83 - including a top-score of 82.
"The selectors looked Alastair Cook in the eye and they thought there were runs around the corner - they were proved right," said Knight.
"Yes he got a hundred, yes he had an element of luck but they were proved right. They feel, and I agree with them, that Kevin Pietersen isn't full of runs.
"I'll tell you the other one who is going to be shaking in his boots right now is Ricky Ponting and Australia. Kevin Pietersen will undoubtedly come back better and stronger from this.
"Get him out of the system and into the Ashes - he'll be on fire there."
But fellow Sky Sports commentator Paul Allott said: "I'm surprised that he's been left out. He's in desperate need of international runs and I thought the two Twenty20 games and the one-day games would have given him the ideal opportunity to do that.
"Don't forget, he was man of the series in the World Twenty20 earlier this year. He is a fantastic player at odds with himself at the moment."
World-class
Pietersen said he had been dropped by England on Twitter, and in the same Tweet revealed that he had signed for Surrey; the ECB later revealed that Hampshire and Surrey had agreed a loan agreement for the player.
The 30-year-old missed out on playing for Hampshire in the Friends Provident t20 Finals Day at the Rose Bowl after confirming his intention to leave the county at the end of the season, with Middlesex and Surrey his preferred destinations.
Former Surrey skipper Mark Butcher told Sky Sports: "My first thought was 'that's brilliant isn't it - it's a no lose situation for Surrey'. They get a player who hopefully is going to have a point to prove and who is world-class.
"Then it suddenly occurred to me that Surrey can't qualify for the CB40 semi-finals, I don't think, they are almost rock-bottom of the second division of the County Championship.
"Do they need to bring in a player like Kevin Pietersen, as great a player as he is, at this particular point in the season? And if it goes wrong, it's another thing for Surrey to have to consider in what has been a problematic summer for them.
"Either way round it's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds. It's hard to believe that the destructive player we saw six months ago is the same one who has been scratching around in the Test matches against Pakistan."
Comments (5)
Raj Krish says...
Kevin Pitersen has no business to expect to be selected for the Ashes tour. The england selectors would be stupid to pay for his air fare.
Posted 12:32 5th September 2010
Prakash Kh says...
England will have a tough time later this year during the ashes; nevertheless, a batsman like kp should be in a form of his life to help england to conquer the series.
Posted 16:36 1st September 2010
Keith Nelson says...
I believe it was right to drop K.P i am one of his biggest admirers but he needs time out in the middle. To play international cricket and have all the media on him if he failed would have just sent him further backwards. Now he will hopefully get some time to find his grove and destructive form back, then we will see the real K.P dominating the aussies in the winter.
Posted 21:12 31st August 2010
Martin Hicks says...
I would have played KP. There is a saying that form is temporry but class is permanent and if he re-discovers his form it is just at likely at the highest level as it is in a club game. When your luck is out you often suffer good balls and brilliant catches in addition to poor shot selection. The big question is what happens if the unthinkable happens and KP doesn''t score lots of runs for Surrey. If he is playing for Surrey (and not himself) circumstances may require him to take risks and we all know how difficult that is when you are struggling for form. I would take KP to Australia anyway because the more they sledge the more it will make him determined to succeed. I am more concerned with the selection of 2 wicket keepers. By all means have a look at both to see who is best but surely they won''t both play in big matches and if KP replaces one of them who opens Bopara or Wright? For that reason I would like to have seen an in form Trott given another chance at the top of the order in place of one of them - he has another string as a fill in bowler.
Posted 20:47 31st August 2010
Ken Clasper says...
I do feel that all of the main batsmen should be sent back to their counties for extra batting practice, as they have all failed too many times recently, including the Captain. Why should they leave the bowlers to do the batting and the bowling, while they sit back doing very little. If Joe public underperformed at work, he would be given an ultimatum,"Do your job or get out" The same should happen here no matter who they are.
Posted 20:33 31st August 2010