Its early days, but Pietersen seems just the captain England need

[Colin]

Kevin Pietersen has been swiftly appointed as Michael Vaughan's successor as Test captain, while also taking the one-day leadership after Paul Collingwood handed in his notice yesterday following Vaughan's departure. Pietersen, one of the few members guaranteed to be a key player of both teams in the next few years, was the favourite to take on the joint role and his appointment was confirmed by the ECB at Lord's today. He will lead out the side for the fourth Test against South Africa this week. Vaughan's resignation on Sunday brought to an end a five-year tenure as the most successful England Test captain with 26 wins. Pietersen takes over with just one ODI as captain under his belt, having led the side against New Zealand at Lord's in June when Collingwood was serving a four-ODI suspension. Andrew Flintoff had taken the reins when Vaughan was injured for England's last Ashes campaign, the ill-fated 5-0 walloping by Australia in 2006-07. Ravi Bopara has been brought in to take Vaughan's spot as batsman for the fourth Test at The Oval, a dead rubber which begins on Thursday. Vaughan has chosen to take a break from cricket and with South Africa already having sealed the series, it will be a good opportunity for Bopara to try to shine. The selectors also named a 15-man squad for one-day series and Twenty20 against South Africa which includes the uncapped Nottinghamshire batsman Samit Patel and a recall for the Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior. I just hope his batting does not suffer from being captain, many other players have faced such a problem! Geoff Miller, the ECB's national selector, said: "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 that 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. "I would like to thank both Michael and Paul for their outstanding contributions to the leadership of the Test and the one-day teams. I am delighted that they will both continue to make themselves available for selection as players." Pietersen said: "I am very thrilled and excited to have been given the opportunity to captain England. It's a huge honour for me and a terrific challenge for me at this stage of my international career. "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 of captaining your country. My immediate priority will be this week's fourth Test and I will be devoting all my energies to ensuring that the team is properly prepared and plays to its full potential starting on Thursday." Test squad Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar. One-day squad Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Owais Shah, Ian Bell, Samit Patel, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Chris Tremlett, Luke Wright.

[Sachinism]

Hope Bopara makes the most of his opportunity to play for England

[Donny]

good to see ambrose out.

?? Test squad Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar.

[Kumar]

?? Test squad Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar.

ODI side I was talking about but u falsly accuse someone,

[Donny]

Accuse, no. Question, yes.

[Kumar]

Accuse' date=' no. Question, yes.[/quote'] no problem:-D

[King Tendulkar]

KP captain of England. Very intersting times ahead. He coulkd be a roaring success leading the side with energy and confidence or he could be so arrogant and lose the dressing romm. Will be great viewing:-D Might not be easy for him as despite his brillinace the english media dont really like him! I feel they are ready to turn on him if things start to go wrong!

[Predator_05]

Don't know if he was the right choice, but i am sure that he was the ONLY choice. The only England cricketer who is guaranteed a place in either side. You can bet that whenever England lose, the criticism levelled at him by the media will be a lot heavier than normal because he is still nothing more than a naturalized Saffie, an outsider. Although he has done a fair bit to lose that punk image of his by presenting himself as more of a clean cut person, his batting still has that same old punk ass style. I am sure English fans will be hoping that the captaincy will cut out reckless shots like the one he played the other day, but if that happens then would KP be the same player ? I don't think so. Remember, Vaughan was averaging 50+ much in the same way Pietersen is doing now when he took over after the World Cup back in '03. My guess is that we'll see a bit of success initiallly which will cause the English meida to hype him up like crazy - columnists hailing his captaincy as "refreshing", a "breath of fresh air", claiming that he has "moulded England into an image of his own personality" or some bullsh it like that - and then, like everything in English cricket, it will all end in tears once the Aussies destroy them in the Ashes. KP's average will drop 10 points leading to his resignation/sacking (whichever comes first), and then i'll bump this thread.

[Ram]

Its never a good idea to make the team's best player captain. Look what happened to Dravid. Atleast, they could have made Strauss test captain and Pietersen ODI captain for the time being. England cannot afford an underperforming KP.

[cowboysfan]

major disaster coming england's way.It's not a good idea making a VAIN and irresponsible person as KP as your captain and he is also their best batsman by far-sheesh.

[Ram]

The problem with making your star performer as captain is, the scrutiny will be that much higher and harder. When Sachin was captain, every one of successes/failures were dissected to the last cell. But Kumble being the low-profile cricketer that he is, there is hardly any focus on the rights/wrongs of his decision making. KP is extremely high-profile and emotionally charged player to boot. It doesnt make for a good cocktail.

[Feed]

'England Skipper undermined by selectors' Michael Vaughan's shock resignation from the England Test captaincy is quite perplexing, writes Murray Staats. More... 'Skipper undermined by selectors' August 05 2008 at 11:50AM By Murray Staats Michael Vaughan's shock resignation from the England Test captaincy is quite perplexing, in spite of his lack of form and home series defeat at the hands of the South Africans. Vaughan, who made his Test captaincy debut against the Proteas five years ago, has an impressive record, winning 26 of his 51 Tests in charge. His 50.98 percent win record is by far and away better than his predecessors Nasser Hussain (37.77 percent), Michael Atherton (24.07 percent), Graham Gooch (29.41 percent) and David Gower (15.62 percent). In the highly-competitive Test arena, any win ratio above 50 percent is regarded as successful, with Graeme Smith sitting on 47.54 percent. Heralded Test captains like Clive Lloyd (48.64 percent), Allan Border (34.40 percent), Greg Chappell (43.75 percent), Richie Benaud (42.85 percent) and Imran Khan (29.16 percent) all had Test win percentages below 50 percent, while Viv Richards (54 percent) and Mark Taylor (52 percent ) only had slightly better win percentages than Vaughan. The exception is Steve Waugh, who, on 71.92 percent, is streaks ahead in the Test captaincy stakes. Vaughan's paltry 40 runs in five innings this series stands out like a sore thumb, with only Monty Panesar below him in the series batting averages. And while his return with the bat has been unacceptable for someone of his class and experience, Vaughan has been put under enormous pressure from his bowlers, who should be familiar with the conditions and the Duke ball, and his wishy-washy selection panel, whose indecision did a lot to undermine England's campaign. Bizarre Of his bowlers, only James Anderson took more than 10 wickets, but they were at an expensive 38 runs apiece. Darren Pattinson's inclusion for the second Test at Headingley was bizarre, to say the least, and it was abundantly clear that Vaughan knew very little about the player and hadn't been consulted about his selection. I doubt very much whether Ricky Ponting, Anil Kumble or Graeme Smith would have taken to the field with a player they'd never heard of. Vaughan should have definitely stood his ground on the Pattinson issue. The fourth Test at The Oval would have given Vaughan a chance to salvage some much-needed pride and an opportunity to atone for his well-below-par batting this English summer. In his replacement, Kevin Pietersen, England have opted for the antithesis of Vaughan, flamboyant, outspoken and relatively inexperienced in the art of captaincy. Just like fellow South African-born England Test captain Tony Greig, Pietersen oozes the same charisma, aggression and unstinting self-belief that Greig had in 1975 when he took over the English captaincy from Mike Denness, who was sacked after a series of disappointing results against Australia. Greig captained England 14 times, winning just three matches, losing five and drawing six. Talking before the 1976 series against the West Indies, the outspoken Greig famously announced he and his team would "make them grovel". Coming from a white South African in the 1970s, this didn't go down to well and the West Indies backlash was swift and severe, trouncing England 3-0. There is no love lost between Pietersen and Smith, who the new England captain famously called a "muppet" a few years back. Their battles in the last Test and upcoming one-day series should be an intriguing one.

[Sachinism]

Pietersen targets the Ashes "If we play like we played this week, we'll beat Australia," declared Kevin Pietersen, only minutes after becoming the fourth man in the last 30 years to win his first Test as England captain. If that seemed a tad of an over-reaction to a comfortable but unspectacular dead-rubber triumph, then it was merely an extension of the up-and-at-'em attitude that has revived English spirits at the end of a disappointing series. Pietersen has never stood on ceremony at any stage of his career, and this moment of victory was not likely to change that pattern one iota. "This is a very exciting stage, but a starting stage," he said. "The key is to turn up to every single Test match like we turned up to this one. With the structures and the players we've got, the type of attack we've had in this game, the way we've gone about the game and the way we've been up for it every single day, and the emotions that the guys have come out with, it's not far away from a perfect start. It's the way we want to play our cricket in the future." The fact that England have now slipped one place from fourth to fifth in the ICC Test rankings clearly has no bearing on the hyperactive thought-processes that Pietersen has been putting himself through in the week since he assumed the role of England captain. An arduous winter looms in India, followed by a springtime tour of the Caribbean and then a possible home Test series against Sri Lanka (IPL commitments pending). But Pietersen knows full well that there's only one contest that really captures the public imagination, and as such, he's wasted no time in firing the first shots of the 2009 Ashes. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last five days, and I've definitely done a bit of thinking about Australia next year," said Pietersen. "Certainly, a lot more than I would have if I was a player. It's about getting the structure right for a long amount of time so the players can feel comfortable and know their role, and deliver. I think that's very important, over the next nine months, for the boys to learn their roles and deliver next year." Quite what the Australians will make of Pietersen's long-term ambitions remains to be seen - clearly they won't consider his hubristic approach to be out of character. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that England have hit upon a certain something in the course of this contest. The form and fitness of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff means that England's attack has been stripped bare and reassembled since the start of the summer, with James Anderson finally confident enough to play a starring role in his own right, and Stuart Broad finding his niche as the junior player in a five-man set-up. It is a formation that has the capacity to rattle a few opponents in the coming months, but not even Pietersen, surely, will be kidding himself that he's found the answer to the England's post-2005 malaise after one half-decent win. After all, when England last took on South Africa, in the winter of 2004-05, not only did they emerge victorious in a contest that was far more keenly contested than this one, they did so with a team that contained nine of the eleven men who went on to defeat Australia the following summer. How many of the current eleven can feel confident about their futures just now? Andrew Strauss's first fifty of the series cannot mask another flaccid performance from a player who revived his career against the Kiwis, but who averaged 24 on the last Ashes tour and hasn't gone big against any senior opponent since the Shoaib-less Pakistanis toured England in 2006. Ian Bell's form has shrunk away since his 199 at Lord's, while Tim Ambrose played this match with an expression as hang-dog as if he had already been dropped In fact, aside from Pietersen, Flintoff and the version of Harmison that turned up at The Oval this week, there's no-one else who can declare with any certainty that they will be in the team that opens the Ashes at Cardiff next summer. Nevertheless, Pietersen's confidence was clearly contagious during the contest just gone. He hasn't got long to formulate a squad that can live up to his ambitions, but his positive and aggressive outlook is a useful starting point. "It's been a good fun five days, and I've got a real happy tiredness," said Pietersen. "It's about that excitement at the start, but I want to be a guy who talks to the players and they think: 'Yeah, he really truly wants me to do well here.' It's important to have that relationship with your players and your coach where you really want to perform for each other, and you know they'll do anything on the planet for you. It's a recipe for success." Pietersen was particularly pleased to see the pride and passion come flooding back into England's game during this match, and for that he reserved a special mention for Harmison, who arguably hasn't looked as enthused by international cricket since his blood-letting first morning of the 2005 Ashes at Lord's. "Big Steve came back in after a time out and he was magnificent," said Pietersen. "I said to Stevey, when I told him he was playing, I want you open, I want you to bowl fast and straight, and bowl like the old Steve Harmison. He said he'd do his best and his best was good enough. "He's a huge player, absolutely huge, and we've seen this week how important he is for us," said Pietersen. "I'm going to be looking after Steve as best I can, but also looking to get the best out of him as well. I think now he's experienced international cricket again, which he loves, and with the smile he's got now, I'm definitely going to get the best out of him." Such is Pietersen's confidence in his new-found leadership abilities, he added that he had even been trying to coax Harmison out of his one-day retirement. "It would be lovely to have him coming in first-change with the white ball, but you don't always get what you want in life," he said. Compared to that particular ambition, the Ashes might actually be a doddle. source: cricinfo --- :hysterical:

[punjabi_khota]

" Such is Pietersen's confidence in his new-found leadership abilities, he added that he had even been trying to coax Harmison out of his one-day retirement. "It would be lovely to have him coming in first-change with the white ball, but you don't always get what you want in life," he said. Compared to that particular ambition, the Ashes might actually be a doddle. source: cricinfo --- :hysterical:

:haha::haha::haha:

[DadaRocks]

If Ponting brings back one player out of retirement...it will another 5-0 white wash:giggle:

[Fontaine]

I can't wait till this over hyped English bowling attack comes into the subcontinent and grinds down to dust on the sun baked flat tracks in India.

[Fontaine]

If Ponting brings back one player out of retirement...it will another 5-0 white wash:giggle:

:hysterical:

[Chaos]

If Ponting brings back one player out of retirement...it will another 5-0 white wash:giggle:

haha great post and so true :hysterical::hysterical:

[Dravid]

If Ponting brings back one player out of retirement...it will another 5-0 white wash:giggle:

what happened last time ashes was played in eng? with all those great players? its cricket *****, anything can happen:-D

[Chaos]

what happened last time ashes was played in eng? with all those great players? its cricket *****, anything can happen:-D

ur brain is getting whacky since 2006 (The fall of dravid started) :yay: