Zee Media Bureau/Manushree Chaumal
London: The Ashes Test series loss has played a heavy toll on the England team. After the loss, in name of team rebuild up, changes are being made.
The first one was sacking of Zimbabwean coach Andy Flower, who had an amazing run for the English team, prior to the return Ashes Down Under. It seems loss at one of the most important series for England, did not go well with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who sacked Flower almost immediately after the tour ended.
Ideally, next in the firing line should have been the captain of the team Alastair Cook, whose decision making skills were being questioned after the tour. Nor was he the same Cook, who scored like a maverick in the 2009-11 Ashes, neither his leadership was like a captain of the Number 3 Test Team in the world.
But surprisingly, the next to be fired was England`s star batsman Kevin Pietersen. He was shown the door by the ECB, putting down the curtains to his controversial, yet flamboyant career.
His 9-year long career was marked with cricketing records, his flamboyant playing style, and of course numerous controversies.
However, a real question that arises is that why is the loss of a team game, being blamed on individuals. Kevin Pietersen wasn`t the only one responsible for the loss, none of the players from the England squad performed. Rather, KP with 294 runs was England`s top scorer in the Ashes 2014. His Test record stands at 8,181 runs in 104 matches, including 23 hundreds.
Speculations were rife that Pietersen had an altercation with England`s captain Alastair Cook that might have led to his exit. His trysts with controversies too have been blamed for his exit. But if his past records are a reason for his exit, why has this time been chosen to throw him out? And if he`s blamed for Ashes loss, he is not the sole one!
This is one question the fans will have to live with. Though Pietersen would be seen in the Indian Premier League, his days of donning the three crested lion jersey is over.
