Pietersen's Vision Takes Shape
Pietersen - getting the best out of his players.
No matter how much you hate Kevin Pietersen, you have to admire what he has done for the England team in such a short space of time.
His team have undergone a metamorphosis, going from one-day chumps to a pretty formidable side in just over a month. Not only are they winning, but the players really seem to be enjoying life under their new captain.
When he was appointed stand-in skipper for the final ODI against New Zealand following Paul Collingwood's ban, he looked like a fish out of water and the team performed dismally. It looked like the players were not quite sure what their position in the team was. The likes of Owais Shah, Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara were constantly being yo-yoed in the batting line-up.
However, as soon as he was given the captaincy on the permanent basis, he stamped his authority on the team. There was plenty of "I want to do that" and "I will do this" during his first press conference as captain, but he has taken responsibility while the England coaching staff continues to shy away from making the tough calls. He lets the players know exactly what their roles will be in the set-up well in advance, and they in turn make sure they deliver when called upon.
Since getting the nod as skipper on August 4, Pietersen has made plenty of big calls, and here is a look at some of the changes that have helped to change England's fortunes:
* His first major decision was to include Steve Harmison in the fourth Test. Some might say Harmison was rejuvenated before the match at The Oval, but Pietersen handled the fast bowler brilliantly. It could've been easy to ease Harmison back into the team by bowling him second change as no one was quite sure which Harmison was going to turn up, but Pietersen entrusted him with the new ball and he didn't let his captain down.
* Many England fans were slightly nervous to see Harmison return to the limited-overs scene at Leeds. After all the last time he donned the coloured clothing at Headingley he ended up with figures of 0/97. However, he appears to have put his ODI demons behind him and continues to get better with each passing game.
* Graeme Swann was the man in possession of the spinner's spot during the New Zealand series and no one would've raised an eyebrow if the status quo remained for the South African one-dayers. Instead Samit Patel got the nod and the spinner has grabbed his opportunity with both hands. Of course, it is easy to make your mark against a Proteas batting line-up that are out of sorts, but Patel has made sure throughout the series that he keeps the pressure on when he comes on after the likes of Harmison and Andrew Flintoff.
* In the 43 matches prior to the South African series Shah only twice came in at No 3 for England, and on both occasions he failed to make an impact. "Owais is going to bat at number three for the simple fact that I think he was wasted at number seven," Pietersen said prior to the start of the series. Shah clearly shares his captain's feelings and looks like he is enjoying the added responsibility of coming in at No 3.
* The pairing of Flintoff and Harmison in the middle is a masterstroke. Despite James Anderson's struggles with the new ball during this series, Pietersen has stuck with Flintoff and Harmison as his second-change combo, and the South African batsmen have proved that it is very comfortable facing the two tall men in the middle of the innings.
* When Flintoff returned for the third Test, England's batting line-up seemed a bit unbalanced with the all-rounder coming in after Paul Collingwood at No 7. In previous one-day games he also batted very low down the order and the Sky commentary team mentioned that the thought in the England dressing room was that Flintoff should only face the final 10 overs. However, Flintoff has been told his position is No. 5 and on each occasion he came in to bat during this series he played according to the situation. Batting responsible when needed and making hay when the opportunity arises at the death.
Of course Pietersen's honeymoon has to end one time or another and his major test will come when England go on tour and Harmison starts feeling homesick or, heaven forbid, when Flintoff misses a few games through injury. But for the time being everything is looking cosy and the players seem to be flourishing under their new skipper.
In football and rugby people often say that you can't judge a coach/manager until he has had time to build his "own team", and they usually get one or two seasons to mould their squad. Well, Pietersen has done a great job in getting "his players" to do it "his way" in the space of a month, and surely it can only get better from here.
Shahida Jacobs