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

[Dravid]

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

ur brain has been wacky from the time u were born :hahaha: am sure 2 straight 20-20 loses to crappy teams has screwed it even more.. (if thats possible :D)

[Predator_05]

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.

Yeah, just like they did in '01 and '06, right.

[cowboysfan]

I dont know about india but the aussies are going to kill them.

[Ram]

Ashes? After losing a home test match series against South Africa? :D Seriously though, Eng do have a half-decent chance of atleast competing more than they did last time. Most of their bowlers, who propelled them to the 2005 victory, should be fit by the next edition of the competition. England's chances hugely depend on the availability of their frontline pace attack. If all of Flintoff, Harmison and Jones are in form and firing, there arent too many batting line-ups that can handle 'em them with ease. That said, we havent even started talking about Anderson and Sidebottom. We shouldnt also forget, Aussie will their first ashes in more than a decade without either Warne, Gilchrist or McGrath. Remember what happened in 2005 when Glenn was injured in the training session? That was quite possibly the turning point of the entire series. Australia havent played a test match outside home since Warne/McGrath retired. The forthcoming Ind-Aus series will give an excellent chance for England and indeed the rest of the world to study what the Aussies really look and feel like, post the retirement exodus following last year's ashes

[Dravid]

i think simon jones is done... even if he comes back, he will be no where near 05

[Chaos]

ur brain has been wacky from the time u were born :hahaha: am sure 2 straight 20-20 loses to crappy teams has screwed it even more.. (if thats possible :D)

now thats personal, u dont want me to start swearing man, u will drop like FLIES

[Rajiv]

The Dhoni of England Unorthodox, weird style, positive, in your face - I can lead We usually like to compare the other way round, but this fella Pietersen is the like dhoni of england The current just flows through rest of the team, and look what they have done to the saffies Brilliant

[bharat297]

Pietersen is a more naturally gifted batsman (i.e. more range of strokes), but what makes Dhoni effective is he knows his strokeplay very well (so he knows what he can and can not do) and plays around that.

[Chaos]

Unorthodox, weird style, positive, in your face - I can lead We usually like to compare the other way round, but this fella Pietersen is the like dhoni of england The current just flows through rest of the team, and look what they have done to the saffies Brilliant

this aint some gem of a player or captain. We will see how long it wil last, rajeev (the new english media editor:--D)

[Sachinism]

KP's had a fantastic start to his reign as captain, but yeh let's see in a few months time. But he has a strong team, so I feel he should go on doing well for a while

[gs]

I envy England's current bowling attack - Harmison, Flintoff, Anderson, Monty plus whoever from Broad, Simon Jones, Luke Wright etc. This attack can win tests any where in the cricket playing world. He probably is as lucky as Clive Lloyd once was.

[Predator_05]

Michael Vaughan had a similar start to his captaincy - winning an ODI series against Pakistan convincingly and then destroying South Africa in the Natwest Series much in the same way England are toying with them at this point in time. Let's see if he can maintain his combative streak during and after an Ashes series.

[Online]

premature...

[Feed]

Its early days, but Pietersen seems just the captain England need Two islands, separated by oceans, continents and attitudes produced correct cricketing decisions. More... Its early days, but Pietersen seems just the captain England need Harsha Bhogle Posted online: Friday , September 05, 2008 at 0050 hrs IST : Two islands, separated by oceans, continents and attitudes produced correct cricketing decisions. It shows that if you have the intent, the right path isn?t always very difficult to find. Intent though, can be an elusive trait, often hard to find and once found, hard to adhere to. You expect Australia to take the appropriate, if uncomfortable, path. Decision making off the field is often looked down upon by those that take decisions on it. But it is just as important. That is why there is much to admire in the Australian system; it has tough, hardy men at all levels. Consequently, the decision to send Andrew Symonds back would have been easier for them than for most. Not only was a senior man sent home, the reasons for the action were clearly spelt out. They were in the open, not camouflaged behind flimsy decoys. So now, everyone knows what you cannot do. Remember, the captain was inexperienced but the Aussies encourage you to be your own man. It is an admired quality, not one that is met with raised eyebrows. Kevin Pietersen comes across as being his own man as well. He is confident and combative and that is often equated with arrogance. But when he meets a fork in the road, he chooses the path of aggression. In doing so he gives his team the best chance of success. It might still be early days for him as captain, but he is not feeling his way around. If he fails he will not be able to look elsewhere and good leaders are happy to live with that responsibility. His is a great story, one of the more interesting ones in recent times. Clearly he has backed himself at all times; often he has been theatrical, outspoken and unafraid to rock the boat. When you have to struggle to prove yourself in someone else?s world, you either end up being negative and bitter or overly combative. Pietersen has evolved in an environment where he has always been the odd man out and without the self-belief he so clearly exudes, he would have been lost. By being open about the mediocrity in the English cricket system, often alluded to but rarely taken head-on, he has sent out a message about the kind of players he wants to work with. ?I want players who perform day-in-day-out? he said. He is looking for match-winners, not cosy players who do enough to stay in the side. When you apply that condition, it is not difficult to see who he is after. There was much written about Andrew Flintoff?s batting form at the start of the season, even suggestions about him being a bowler who does a bit with the bat. Instead, Pietersen sent him up the order, at once a statement of faith and a challenge. With the backing of the captain, Flintoff is back to being the nightmare batsman for the opposition. And England suddenly have the right balance again; a batsman among the five bowlers and a bowler in the top six. Next he worked on Harmison, a man of fragile temperament but enormous ability. England, much to everyone?s glee, were ready to give up on him. But sometimes the biggest brutes have soft cores, feel the same need for reassurance as average strugglers. Sanath Jayasuriya is like that. So, it seems, is Harmison. It seems a strange anomaly; that love and caring should be the path towards men possessed of such destruction. Now Harmison is happy to tour in the winter again where previously a visit to the supermarket seemed a couple of miles too far. Flintoff and Harmison, available and in form, represent the best bowling England can put on the park. It is no surprise that a batsman figured that out. Big players get frustrated playing the little leagues. They don?t need to prove themselves there, merely to show that they are ready again. England would have lost Harmison to Durham; now he has an opportunity to show the world he can travel. Pietersen?s next stop, not surprisingly, is Simon Jones. He gives the impression that he knows where to look. I think he will tell England to cut the talk and play. Unless he falls prey to the talk himself, unless he starts playing to the gallery. Either way, England have suddenly emerged as the side to follow. There have been false dawns before, some sunrises were quickly obscured. If this one lasts, England will be very watchable.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

i think he's in the mould of Javed Miandad, Aravinda De Silva, who never became good captains