Pietersen injury creates opportunities for English and Aussies alike

There was a strong suspicion that there was rather more wrong with Kevin Pietersen than we were being led to believe. This most ebullient and self-confident of sportsmen was a shadow of his former self, scratching, edging and grimacing his way to respectable, but unspectacular scores. The crowd-pleasing freedom to which we are used had given way to circumspection, an extraordinary player looked very ordinary. Now we know the extent of the injury, it all makes rather more sense.

In spite of his lack of influence on the series so far, the loss of Kevin Pietersen is clearly a massive one for England. There is a huge void to fill in terms of runs but beyond that he brings a confidence which can be lacking from a side featuring some individuals of suspect temperament. Aside from Andrew Strauss, Pietersen is the only player with a proven track record of being able to score really big runs on a regular basis. None of the others have a match-winning, turning or saving century to their name to speak of.

The middle order looks brittle all of a sudden. Bopara is out of form, Prior and Collingwood have scored 5 half-centuries between them but need to turn attractive or stubborn 60s into hundreds. Andrew Flintoff is pretty hit and miss with the bat these days and, to coin an Aussie phrase, Australia have shown in the past that they have the wood on Ian Bell. While all are good players, none of them have ever filled the role of the main man in the batting line up. They have all been members of the support cast, prepared to make their contributions in the shadow of KP, Vaughan, Strauss et al. Now is the time for at least one of them to step up and at least try to replicate in part the aura which surrounds the absent Pietersen. This will be crucial against an Australian line-up who may have just an extra spring in their step after the news of KP’s mishap.

The likely promotion of Bell can be interpreted in a number of ways. Plenty of time, money and faith have been invested in him and he has short-changed his backers thus far. There is no doubt that he is one of, if not the batsman with the most potential in the land. But at some point potential must be realised and in this batsman-friendly era, an average of just a shade over 40 reflects badly on a man of his talent. But who else is there? It has often seemed that it is harder to get out of this England side than to get into it and this may explain the dearth of alternatives. Bell has received such backing that very few others have had a chance. The selectors have little option but to turn to him and, if he wishes to have the test future he has always promised, he has no option but to grab this opportunity with both hands.

Pietersen’s absence could be the making of some of the other players, if they are brave enough to make it so. It has long been the case that in the absence of Flintoff during one of his injuries, some players are only too aware that they are just keeping a seat warm, that no matter how well they play they will be out when the big man returns. On this occasion, Flintoff is retiring at the end of the season and the balance of the side in the future is uncertain. There may be an extra batting spot up for grabs soon. Even though Pietersen will be back in the winter, there is plenty for everyone to play for.

England will be hoping that Pietersen’s injury is not their ‘McGrath’ moment. Once again, a key player has been struck down when his team is in the ascendancy. But Pietersen does not have the mental hold over Australia which McGrath did over England and, more importantly, England should have better replacements waiting in the wings. Bell and the rest of the batsmen have a real opportunity to advance to another level. Australia too will sense an opportunity to crank up the aggression against a fragile-looking middle order. The plot of this compelling Ashes series grows ever more unpredictable.

by Stuart Peel

July 24, 2009