England Summer Test Cricket

[Neil Young]

So Pietersen and he are divided on that. Proves KP right.

[Shaggy]

[captainfog]

It's got to be Jimmy or Swann, can't imagine anyone else having a problem with him tbh.

[captainfog]

Just read it, in many ways that was a stupid article by Jimmy.

[RichC]

So KP has been dropped for the last test, quite brave as we need to win to level the series but you can see why it's been done

KP is a world class player but all the antics with him wasn't helping the side at all.

[Chazza]

Political and mad decision in my view.

I don't think we can draw the series without him in the side

[RichC]

I think you're right in terms of this series but seems he's not getting on with Strauss and/or Flower so I guess something had to give.

[captainfog]

The youtube vid was just an attempt to salvage his career. They told him not to do it and he did it anyway. You can't be sending derogatory texts to the Saffers about his captain and coach. Crazy. How did it get to this? Both sides have handled it very poorly.

[Shaggy]

Disastrous but I think it's the right decision

[captainfog]

We are well and truly ****ed at Lords.

Bairstow and the lad with the hilarious helmet batting 5 and 6?

No ****ing chance.

[Chazza]

Not that its any better but will Ravi not come back in?

[captainfog]

Not that its any better but will Ravi not come back in?

No, he's not playing for personal reasons (I don't know what these are)

[RichC]

I seriously hope not.

He's had more than his fair chances at playing for the test side and he's simply just not good enough (probably mental more than anything else!)

[Chazza]

Not that its any better but will Ravi not come back in?

[Zapater]

We are well and truly ****ed at Lords.

Bairstow and the lad with the hilarious helmet batting 5 and 6?

No ****ing chance.

That helmet is a ****ing shocker. And it leaves Englands batting depth and experience very thin.

From an SA perspective. KP is a ****ing prick, I'm so happy he left even when he was/is performing well, because tbh I wouldn't want cocky, self absorbed prima donnas like that always looking for the spot light in the team. Don't get me wrong on his day (like the 1st innings of the last test) he can swing a game, which is very difficult to do with bat in hand, I'm pretty much positive we'd have won that test if it wasn't for that knock, but ****ing hell. It wouldn't surprise me after his retirement if he was the type to have a reality show called 'the Pietersens'.

He's always been like this and I can't say this is a huge surprise to me either, how said that Gulam Bodi (one of the best provincial cricketers in South Africa, ironically just signed for the same IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils) was only picked ahead of him because of quota systems when KP at that stage was a ****ty off spinner who could slog a quick 20 or 30 whilst batting at 8 or 9. Talk about excuses. That, combined with him slagging off Smith in the public, his English captaincy, his Lion tattoo/ his fake forced England accent, the way he talks about himself "the fans love watching me play for England" etc. What a ****wit. The fact he even released that interview someone posted above is a disgrace. He got what he deserved, trying to suck up.

On the game though, I'm pumped there's never going to be a much better opportunity to win back to back series away from home. The media circus, the 1 game lead, good history at Lords, stacked batting line up, general good form etc. On a future note, I would like to see de Villiers perhaps go back to just batting if he fails to register a big score in this game. I'm not saying it's the reason why, but he got 2 40's and didn't turn either of them into more meaningful totals, perhaps I'm reading into it too much, but it's pretty unusual for him to get going twice and not make scores of 80+. Saying that, the Headingly pitch was an awkward one where batsmen are never quite 'in' on and England bowled very disciplined lines. Otherwise it looks like Peterson will be fit, so they'll most likely name the same 11.