Rewind back to May and Pietersen was enjoying what he described as the best week of his life, inspiring England to their first ever World Cup victory in the ICC World Twenty20 and witnessing the birth of his first son.
Since then little has gone the way of England’s talismanic number four who has not scored a hundred for England since March 2009, and who’s Test average is dipping perilously below 50.
Having been dropped justifiably from the one day series against Pakistan Pietersen joined up with new county Surrey in a bid to resurrect his form in time for the Ashes. No doubt an environmentally conscious decision from KP who parted company with Hampshire earlier in the year after observing that "geographically it just doesn't work – I live in Chelsea."
A hundred against Division Two outfit Sussex at Hove in the CB40 provided welcome time in the middle however a second-ball duck against Glamorgan in the County Championship ensured that questions still remained over his consistency at the highest level.
In a desperate attempt to regain form Pietersen agreed to travel to his home country of South Africa at the end of the season to play for KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins in two four-day matches.
A breezy 36 from 48 deliveries against the Warriors including six fours was largely overshadowed by a second-ball duck in his final game against the Titans, yet Pietersen remained upbeat about his progress abroad obviously rejuvenated by a return to his birthplace.
Questions still remain however, and as one of only seven survivors of England’s last series down under many have suggested that the 30-year-old does not deserve to simply stroll back into the dressing room as he has done for the last five years.
Critics will no doubt point to statistics, and rightly so, 2010 marks the first year in which Pietersen has failed to average above 40 in Test cricket passing 50 only once, not to mention an average of just 17.81 in 17 one day games since 2009.
It must not be forgotten also that England’s heroic triumph over the Aussies last year was orchestrated largely in his absence, an Achilles injury ruling him out of the final three Test matches, a factor that some attest to his dip in form over the past twelve months.
The decision to retain Pietersen for the Ashes therefore hinges almost entirely on reputation. England fans will still nurture fond memories of a young Pietersen charging down the wicket to the likes of Warne and McGrath in 2005, and if his performances in the World Twenty20 are anything to go by the fire still burns brightly within.
Much like his middle-order colleague Paul Collingwood Pietersen has made his reputation as a man for the big occasion, and they do not come much bigger than the historical battle between two of cricket’s most fiercely competitive nations for a small but highly sought after urn.
Whether he will once again unleash that fire still remains to be seen, but one thing that you can be sure of is that come November 25 there is one name that Ricky Ponting will be hoping is not scribbled on the team sheet and that is Kevin Peter Pietersen.
It wasn't long ago that considering dropping Pietersen would have been unthinkable. How much did losing the captaincy, especially under such acrimonious circumstances, affect him?
ReplyDeleteMaybe he needs to go back to the days of the "skunk" hairstyle!