Hawkmoon77

So Mr New to his Job Strauss has spoken and it's a no show for KP in this summer's tests.

Surely the end of KP's England career.

Was he hard done by, after hints he could have been recalled ?

Or was he a bad apple that the squad are better off without ?

Could be interesting he he continues to score runs (albeit in Div 2) and Eng struggle against NZ (and they certainly will struggle against Oz)

Pizzawheel

I think the question is whether his locker room poison is justified by his batting- and the answer is no. I don't really follow that it might be on the rest of the team, coaches and management.

Oink

Unless one of the current English players starts to dominate with the bat or we play badly, then the question of whether KP plays will infect the narrative of the whole summer.

Oakvillian

I quite liked the way Tom Fordyce put the dilemma on the BBC website: "What is the sliding scale between angelic and arse that would see some players disliked yet selected, and others excluded?"

Seems Strauss has been leant on by the Blazers, so has been made to look like a knob before he's even sat down at his new desk. If there were "trust issues" then why was the indication made to KP that if he gave up a (very lucrative) IPL contract and played (and scored) in the County game, then he'd be back in the fold? He appears to have held up his side of the bargain rather better than the ECB have held up theirs. On which side is the "trust issue" now, eh?

Novocastrian

One Innings does not make a Summer.

A. Forism.

Hawkmoon77

Ah...but he was trusted for input into the one day side, but not to play in it.
Perhaps the problem is with the players he slagged off in that tawdry book.

The whole thing is a disaster and will only go away if and when Eng start winning again. Which with an Ashes summer, won't be for a while

Oakvillian

Quite. What Oink said. The KP issue will continue to be an issue unless somebody else in the England side starts making some big international scores.

Oakvillian

I think Mr Forism, for all that he does "give good quote," is confusing his double-entendres here. This one is about swallowing, not innings and outings.

Novocastrian

Either way both KP and the ECB are ***ked.

B. Lassfemie.

JamesM

They should burn the stumps and take the ashes to Australia.

English cricket has died!

Pizzawheel

Well we should be just fine then! More gin, vicar?