The media and Kevin Pietersen
What is it with the English media and Kevin Pietersen? They just can’t stop themselves putting words in his mouth that he didn’t say. There is a great groundswell of opinion that KP is arrogant, aloof and somehow just not a team player. Putting aside the hatred for him in his native South Africa, where he is viewed with disdain for his departure to and qualification for England, he is still not exactly what you could call popular.
Today in the Telegraph, who you would think would know better, the headline has Pietersen saying
England captain Andrew Strauss benefiting from my groundwork
Particularly they have picked up on this quote
It was frustrating. I put into writing all my suggestions, as I was asked to, and Strauss has got the benefit of all that
Which makes it sound as if Pietersen is trying to take the credit for the Ashes win.
When you read the original interview by Brian Viner of the Independent and Pietersen’s quotes, you realise that this is not at all what he is saying. If you read the context of the article it’s clear that he is referring to the fallout over Peter Moores. The article continues:
I ask him to be more specific about the ways in which Strauss has reaped the benefits of his suggestions to the ECB. “He has a coach he can work with. I never had that. I didn’t have the power or authority to run the team. I never had that as England captain.”
In other words, Pietersen raised his concerns about Moores to the ECB in writing as part of a report that they had requested. Those concerns were acted upon by the ECB with the removal of Moores and the appointment of Andy Flower. KP’s reward for voicing his apparantly justifiable concerns as had been requested was to be sacked as well.
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