It’s the colour that matters….. part-2….
Well, the inevitable has happened. Kevin Pietersen has retired from International limited Overs cricket. Actually, he had to, he had no other choice. Tired of playing meaningless 50 over games he wanted to retire just from them but the stipulations of the central contract offered by the ECB says that one has to be available for selection for both forms of limited overs cricket or he just can’t play any. The ECB on its part has accepted the retirement from both forms of cricket although one can’t get the feeling that rules for Pietersen are different.
They must be otherwise why Strauss has not played a T20 international since the lone game he played in 2009 after becoming the English Captain. He did not make himself available for any T20 but of course he did not retire. Heard about actions speaking louder than words? So, why he was not forced to make himself unavailable for the one-dayers? Stuart Broad wrote about some ‘liars’ in the media on twitter but he was not penalised. In the recent fall out Pietersen was chided at a personal level as well. Alastair Cook was never good enough for T20 and the selectors wanted him to concentrate on other formats. Jonathon Trott comes under the same category. Somebody show them the contract please. Who would like to wear the coloured clothing then if he can still go on and play around the world in T20 leagues like his chum Christopher Gayle. After all in some way it’s the colour of dollars that matters as well.
Colour it was that had brought KP to the English shores. The rainbow nation did not let him in the team because of reservations for people of different colours in the team. Who says colour does not matter? Of course it does. Being booed at every ground of South Africa he went on to score 473 in the series with three hundreds and respect under his belt. It is another matter that Graeme Smith still despises him. He should, he has every right to do so. His fellow countryman turned up for another country and became their talisman. Pietersen was the one who helped England win its first world cup. South Africa has not won one yet and it was Pietersen’s knock that helped England beat South Africa in the Super Eights matches. That innings would have come playing in greens but he was wearing blue. See, colour matters.
To be honest the imminent future of Englishmen in Limited Overs Cricket look far from hairy but all eerie. For all the talented players in county cricket the ones I have looked at are nothing but tawdry cricketers. Eoin Morgan has been out of form in the recent memory. Jonny Bairstow has shown just glimpses of his talent just like my neighbour keeps showing his talent every now and then. May be Collingwood can make a comeback. He has bided not a lot but some success playing around the world in T20 leagues. But the talisman will be missed and just when you thought his magic had come back. I bet if others try his Switch Hit their efforts will be termed ‘cringe-making’ failures to say the least. The celerity of his feet while he came dancing down the track will be missed by his fans not just in his adopted country but his fans all over the world.
There is little chance that the stubborn ECB will change its stance but then everyone knows whose lose it is going to be.
