Captain Pietersen

Captain Pietersen

With the banning of Paul Collingwood for four matches due to England’s slow run-rate in the last match against New Zealand, Kevin Pietersen finds himself handed the captaincy of the national team for the remainder of the series and most likely for the matches against South Africa that will follow.

Pietersen has led a stellar England career so far, having only gained clearance to play for England in 2004 he was instrumental in the Ashes victory over the Australians and since has played a huge role in the England national team.

Pietersen is a unique player, he has the potential to demolish any attack, and few could forget his attack on Bret Lee after lunch in the last Ashes test. Taking on the fastest bowler in the world, Pietersen was fearless and that innings more than any other cemented his place as one of the best batsmen in the world.

Whilst his talent has never been in doubt, his mentality has sometimes. Pietersen is blessed with confidence to the point of arrogance, and though he is said to be widely liked within the England set up he does seem to be in possession of an ego the size of which is only matched by his remarkable talent. Whether he will be as good a captain as he is a player no one surely knows, but he has the personality to stamp his authority on the team.

For Pietersen himself the captaincy is a dream come true, and though he has said that he is aware that he is only doing the job in the absence of Paul Collingwood this surely must represent an opportunity to show himself and the selectors that he is capable of doing the job on a more permanent basis, or even the Test job should it come to the time when Michael Vaughan steps down from the job. Pietersen’s ambition is limitless, and captaining his adopted country is surely the very pinnacle of all that he could hope to achieve.

Vaughan summed up the decision to make Pietersen captain succinctly. The England test captain declared: “He's thoughtful, his tactics seem pretty good and I'm sure he'll do a good job.” The selectors will no doubt be hoping that Vaughan’s analysis is true.

As for the rest of the country, according to Blue Square Apuesta, England’s odds for winning the last match and as a result drawing the series haven’t changed with the news of Collingwood’s ban and Pietersen’s step up to the captaincy. Pietersen’s odds on a big score have, however, shortened slightly. The new England captain has a tendency for selecting his own scripts and for those into sports betting who would put money against KP scoring a century and winning the match for his adopted nation?