Kevin Pietersen’s monopoly of the airwaves and printed media regarding his claims of bullying in the England cricket team’s dressing room ended abruptly on Tuesday with the leaking of an email outlining his poor behaviour on last year’s disastrous Ashes series in Australia.
The England and Wales Cricket Board insisted the Email website Cricinfo had received was not the official dossier compiled by former coach Andy Flower, who has like many others not escaped the wrath of Pietersen in his book. The ECB said it was an internal email draft drawn up by their lawyers — marked strictly privileged and confidential.
Nevertheless it will not make pleasant reading for the South African-born batsman but will delight those who like former England spinner Graeme Swann and wicketkeeper Matt Prior have been lambasted by Pietersen.
However, Pietersen brushed off the Email’s contents which included captain Alastair Cook’s first name being misspelt in one instance. “I heard about it in the car earlier. It is embarrassing,” said Pietersen, who in a rollercoaster career was also sacked as England skipper. “They couldn’t even spell Cooky’s name right. It is a joke. I am done with it. It is so embarrassing I don’t want to give it any thought. I am just getting on with my life.”
Pietersen’s claims that an atmosphere of bullying existed in the dressing room is undermined by one of the observations in the Email. “At the end of the first Test, KP was awarded a present by the team in recognition of 100th Test (as is customary). During his acceptance speech KP stated that ‘this is the best England dressing room environment that I have ever experienced’,” reads the email.
Pietersen’s claim of younger players being hectored and bullied by the bowlers in particular if they were deemed guilty of dropping catches or sloppy fielding also appears to include him in the list of those abusing them according to the email.
“After playing a terrible shot to get out in one of his innings in the fourth Test, KP returned to the England dressing room and in front of the younger England players, shouted “you lot are a bunch of useless c***s”,” reads the report.
Ponting backs KP’s claims
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has spoken up in support of Kevin Pietersen’s allegations. “We saw them doing it, (James) Anderson was always the same, and Swann,” Ponting told the Sydney Daily Telegraph on Wednesday. “The pointing of fingers and you’d hear a few expletives if there was a misfield or a dropped catch.
“The guys who were doing it were the so-called leaders. That’s where the captain has got to come in, not wait and let little things turn into big things. That’s what it sounds like has happened in this England team.”
“They had a lot of very good players that were able to achieve a lot of success as a team,” Ponting said. “But if you could just get inside of them and start pulling them apart, we always had a feeling they would implode pretty quickly and that’s what’s happened over the past 12 months.”
PCB to send Ajmal for biomechanic test
Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is preparing to send suspended off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for a biomechanic test after he reported a marked improvement in his bowling action. Ajmal, who has been Pakistan’s top spinner for the last few years, was also suspended by the ICC from bowling in international cricket last month after failing an official test as per ICC rules.
“Saeed (Ajmal) is very confident that he will be ready soon with a remodelled action for another independent biomechanic test,” PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said. “Saqlain Mushtaq and the team of experts who are working on Saeed’s bowling action have also given positive feedback. Once we get a go ahead from them we plan to send him for an independent analysis of his remodelled action,” Ahmad said.
“Saeed and Saqlain are very confident his remodelled action will ensure his bowling action is within the ICC permitted limit of 15 degrees. But we are anxious to see whether the remodelled action will have reduced his potency as a bowler or it will remain the same,” he added. “But the ICC basically has told its umpires and match referees to be very strict with bowlers now as this was not the case in the past,” he said.
Two offspinners suspended
DUBAI: Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi and Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya have been suspended from bowling in international cricket after independent analysis found the offspinners’ actions to be illegal. The International Cricket Council says Wednesday that the analysis undertaken last month showed that “all of their deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.” The suspension is indefinite and takes effect immediately. The ICC says the two players can apply for a reassessment after modifying their bowling actions.