Tom Reeves notes that chopping Pietersen means Essex man Cook is unlikely to be axed as England cricket captain.
Kevin Pietersen’s England career is over. A three-man panel from the English Cricket Board has told him – in about as many words – that he has no place in the national team.
The 33-year-old batsman found fame in 2005 when England won the Ashes for the first time in 18 years. South African-born Pietersen, whose mother is English, went on to score 13,797 runs in 277 internationals.
However, he was frequently involved in controversial incidents. His brief spell as England captain ended in 2009 after a row with (then) coach Peter Moores.
Alastair Cook brought Pietersen back into the England team, after he was dropped for sending provocative texts to South African players during a Test match between the two sides.
Following the disastrous Ashes series in Australia, however, Cook has changed his position on Pietersen. Meanwhile Pietersen’s dismissal amounts to confirmation of Cook’s position as captain.
The Essex opening batsman took over the captaincy from Andrew Strauss in August 2012. The 29-year-old will sit out the forthcoming tour of the West Indies and there had been speculation that his captaincy was all but over.
But the ECB’s decision to remove Pietersen – the only other player with experience of skippering an England Test side, suggests that Cook will keep the captain’s job.