England's Wisest Move Yet
Pietersen - one of England's more colourful captains.
First, let it be said, Michael Vaughan chose a most inopportune time to throw in the towel. Could he not have waited until the end of the series? Availing himself and teammates the chance to go out on potentially a consolatory high would have been the respectable ideal. Should they not achieve consolation from the fourth Test, a series loss is still a series loss be it 2-0 or 3-0. Instead, he has jumped ship at the first whispers of his possible axing.
Now England are left with a new captain, a coach still as quiet as a mouse on all things captaincy, and the mammoth task of avoiding further embarrassment at The Oval.
Thankfully for them, the new man at the helm is not the green Alastair Cook, the iffy Paul Collingwood, the past-it Andrew Strauss, the seemingly unwilling Andrew Flintoff, or another Darren Pattinson-esque leftfield selection in the form of Robert Key.
It is, rightfully, Kevin Pietersen.
With Pietersen's appointment as Vaughan's successor comes a new dawn rather than just a change of the guard for English cricket. The anticipation of more flamboyant leadership, edgier tactics and - hopefully - better results accompanies Vaughan's exit and KP's arrival.
However, the expectation cannot be that the new captain miraculously begins to churn out results from the word 'go'. After a Vaughan-led England beat the Aussies in 2005, English hopes rose to delusional levels. Even a 5-0 thrashing in Australia failed to quash this.
England have been well beaten in this series and it has shown them up as a fairly ordinary side. Given that Pietersen inherits the same resources that Vaughan - a fine skipper in his own right - could not convert into a side capable of beating South Africa or India on home turf, realism must be applied by all. Therefore the ruthless English media, selectors and fans must allow the 28-year-old sensation plenty of time to find his groove at the helm.
Since his inception on the world stage the South African-born star has unequivocally walked the walk with superb batting performances against all the major nations. Coupling promise with delivery, KP enjoys a 50-plus Test average against most Test-playing nations, including South Africa and Australia (rival yardsticks by which any potential great would want to measure his success). Thus, there is no question over his batting ability and one struggles to see the dual responsibility leading to a decline in his primary role as batsman, as was often the case with his predecessor.
His composure and temperament - both key in a skipper's armoury - give rise to the biggest question marks, most recently exemplified by his irresponsible second-innings knock at Headingley and his rash stroke while in the 90s at Edgbaston. Though not totally putting a lid on his aggressive style of play, KP simply cannot allow these unwelcome rushes of blood to the head to slip into his captaincy.
Pietersen's appointment also sees renewed optimism for the likes of Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara. Constantly overlooked throughout Ian Bell and Collingwood's dry spells, the discarded duo might find themselves back in the starting XI if Bello and Colly begin to dither again. Reports have it that Pietersen and Moores "have agreed they can work together despite differences in their approaches to the game," and one fancies the former will go against the latter's grain, opting for the new breed if or when the selectors ask his opinion.
Ian Botham looks forward to the added responsibility catapulting KP to a 'higher plane', Nasser Hussain wants to see him play 'less as an individual' and Graham Gooch reckons he needs to 'earn the respect of the players'. While the latter is largely in place given Pietersen's affable history with teammates and his consistent conversion of big talk into big runs, it's the former two notions that hang in the balance. And fans and foe alike should get an early idea whether or not the captaincy will make or break Botham and Hussain's wishes. The ball is - ostensibly - in KP's court.
"I take advice. I love challenges. I am going to give it a great go," Pietersen enthused in Monday's acceptance speech. They're not profound words, but it's this honesty, this transparency and this eagerness to step up for his adopted nation that instils confidence. One looks forward to more of the same from captain KP come The Oval and beyond. While Vaughan was good but never really destined for greatness, one anticipates his successor will do his utmost to fly in the face of mediocrity.
If all else fails, at least England have a cocksure chap fronting their charge for the time being. Like Vaughan did, it'll be the colourful Pietersen at the mic when it's time to answer to the press again, with Moores quite happy to shy away from limelight. Yes, Vaughan lacked runs recently but his results (played: 51, won: 26, drawn: 14, lost: 11) hardly pale in comparison to that of Moores' (played: 19, won: 6, drawn: 7, lost: 6). Leaving the question begging to be asked: Has the right man tended his resignation...?
Jonhenry Wilson