Mailbox: KP Appointed Skipper

Pietersen - the right man?

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Just What England Needed
He may have only had four set answers for that press conference, but there's no doubt that Kevin Pietersen is the right man to take England forward. The thing we've lacked most in this series has been some resilience and passion, two things Vaughan was not particularly blessed with. Freddie sparks the team from time to time but he just can't carry the whole team on his own in this regard.

Pietersen will now add some charisma to the whole affair which will, hopefully, jolt England to life. We need a bit of fresh belief, as shown by batting displays unbecoming of the talent on show, and there's no one else who could have provided that. So congratulations to KP and I wish him all the very best. Come on the England!
Pete Sullivan

Good On You KP!
Why all the moaning? He was the only candidate available as Strauss (only playing in Tests), Cook (too inexperienced) and Flintoff (been here done that) were bigger risks than Pietersen. His bloody-mindedness will help him to be successful. Ricky Ponting wasn't much loved when he was appointed Australian skipper, but the Aussies have accepted him and he is one of their best around. I'm sure KP will turn England's fortunes around.
Jade, Ipswich

KP Will Calm Down
Suggestions that his batting averages will nosedive now that he is captain are rubbish. Being skipper will help him to act more responsibly. If he was captain he wouldn't have thrown his wicket away on 94 at Edgbaston and he wouldn't have gone for 13 off five balls at Headingley. I think it will calm him down a bit, and that can only be good for England.

Er, But He's Really Not English
I must say, Angus Fraser's piece about KP only moving to England for career reasons does strike a chord with me. It's one thing for him to be selected to play for England, but to make him captain when he so clearly isn't English (no matter how many tattoos he may get) doesn't sit well with me.

While I fully support the idea of having a foreign coach for our national teams should our own not cut the mustard, I just feel that your captain, as the leader of a group of players representing England, should actually be English. Call me old fashioned or whatever you like, but Pietersen's appointment just doesn't sit well with me.
Alex

Sad Day For English Cricket
After 40 years of supporting English cricket I am throwing in the towel with tears in my eyes, just like Michael Vaughan did on Sunday. Where does this appointment leave the players born and bred in England (of which there are very few left) and plying their trade in county cricket? We are starting to pluck more and more players from overseas. It's time for the ECB to do something about the influx of foreigners. In a few years' time we will be the equivalent of the football team.
Jonny, Bedfordshire

A Saffer Leading England?
Bad choice. How can a South African captain England?
Joe Clark

Prepare For The Worst
England are setting themselves up for failure. Oh wait, they've already failed. Pietersen wouldn't have come close to captaining South Africa if, and that's a big if, he made the South African team. Besides Peter Moores, I can see him falling out with several England players. I predict a pretty lean time for the England cricket team.
Ebrahim, KZN

Australia Approves
Down here in Oz we are all happy with the appointment of Kevin Pietersen as England skipper. Well done to the ECB for making our job just a little easier for the next Ashes series. Did you not learn from the Andrew Flintoff fiasco? 'The Ego' will crumble when we visit your shores next year.
Wally, Adelaide

Bring KP On
Ha ha "The Ego has landed". I say bring KP on... there is no way that he will be able to be a good captain and maintain his batting performance at the same time...either he will flourish as a captain but his batting will become average, or he will be a poor captain as he focuses on his batting...he simply has way too big an ego to be able to make those cool rational decisions on the field that any captain worth his salt should be able to do, and seeing as England rely so heavily on his batting, I for one cannot wait to see how this England team will perform in their next few Tests and in the Ashes with "Mr Ego" as captain. It's is going to be hilarious. I actually feel really sorry for Vaughan. There is no way the Ego will do a better job than Vaughan.
Anthony Swann

And Finally
Good press conference from KP yesterday. Sounds like Jessica will have a fair say in whether Ian Bell is promoted to number three and whether Andrew Flintoff should open the bowling if it's not swinging.
James, Cheshire

And Now For Something Different
I am happy that SA have finally broken the drought that is an England Series victory in England. It might have taken all those years to achieve, but I don't think it could have come any sweeter.

I am happy that ALL our top 6 batsmen came good during the series. I think Kallis can be excused because he has proved the difference in many past series victories when no else was able or capable of doing it. I do still feel he needs to do well in the final test to REALLY get his confidence going, especially after the "sightscreen" debacle that really unsettled him in quite an un-Kallis like manner. Never seen him quite as peeved as he was when he was dismissed in the second innings. And Boucher, well, I need to eat a healthy portion of humble pie as I was one of many who felt he was running out of time in the SA setup. Could not have chosen a better moment to show his class, experience, and character.

I am happy that Dale Steyn has shown England how good he really is, and that Nel and Morkel have also come to the party. I am concerned about Ntini's form, and his very obvious lack of real variety is going to count against him as his pace drops. Harris, like Kallis, has performed well when no else did in previous series (India, Pakistan), though he too should use the last test as an opportunity to get some need wickets and confidence (if he is chosen that is).

I am happy that Graeme Smith not only produced an innings of a lifetime to emphatically win the series, but he also showed lots of character and determination despite all the unsavoury tactics that the English were throwing at him (Sightscreen anyone??). And the way he was playing on the on side was a real revelation for me. So often he will try and work everything to the leg side, but he really showed that he is developing in leaps and bounds as an excellent batsman with that milestone innings.

But what I am MOST happy about, correction, ECSTATIC, is that the final runs, the runs that sealed the victory of not only the test, but also series, came off the one man that most South Africans love to hate, KP.

Good luck to him in his new role of England Captain. May he be Graeme Smith's hat-trick of English Captains to retire!
Stanton Londt, Cape Town