Kevin Pietersen’s England sacking was ‘unnecessary’, says Stuart Broad

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/11/stuart-broad-kevin-pietersen-england-sacking

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The England bowler Stuart Broad believes Kevin Pietersen’s sacking last year was “unnecessary” but feels that the batsman’s absence has given younger players a chance to shine.

Pietersen’s often dramatic international career was brought to a halt by the England and Wales Cricket Board last February in the fallout of the Ashes whitewash. But Broad thinks Pietersen’s form – he averaged under 35 in his final 12 Tests – meant he could have just been dropped, and that would not have led to the media frenzy that his sacking caused.

“It just became a bit of a media uproar, the whole sacking, it just seemed a bit unnecessary when every other player in the history of the game just gets dropped for poor form,” Broad told BBC 5 Live. “His form was pretty poor over 18 months, every other player just gets dropped. Obviously Kevin’s very disappointed with that and every player should be disappointed if you’re not going to represent your country again. It could’ve been handled very differently, I think, by everyone.”

Pietersen’s name continues to linger around the England team -–despite him criticising team-mates, including Broad, and the ECB in a controversial autobiography – and the 34-year-old remains determined to resume his international career.

Yet Broad thinks that is unlikely due to Pietersen focusing solely on the Twenty20 format in the last 12 months as well as the emergence of players such as Joe Root and Gary Ballance in the national team set-up.

“He’s not played any red ball cricket for a year so I don’t think a return in Test matches is very likely and he’s not set the world alight in white-ball format either,” Broad added. “The three Test matches we won in the summer against India were probably the strongest performances I’ve played in in the 74 I’ve played, and they were without Kevin Pietersen.

“The guys who have come in – Joe Root, Gary Ballance – have been the shining lights of the England team. When you lose a great player younger guys come in and perform, so actually if Kevin Pietersen was still in the side would Joe Root have taken the responsibility on this summer and averaged 99? Probably not, but he became the shining light of the England batting line-up.”

Pietersen’s unlikely bid to take on England in a tour match in Canberra next week is over after Chris Rogers was called up to captain an Australian Prime Minister’s XI. England limber up for the Tri-Series also involving India and the subsequent World Cup with a game against an ACT XI on Monday before taking on the PM’s representative team two days later at the Manuka Oval.

The hosts were due to be captained by Mike Hussey, but the veteran was ruled out after suffering a calf injury in the Big Bash. A high-profile replacement was required to lead the side in his absence and Pietersen, engaged in a toxic war of words with his former employer ever since his sacking, put his hat in the ring.

While playing for Melbourne Stars on Saturday, he declared himself “always available” while chatting with commentators on the player mic and later tweeted the prime minister to reiterate his hope of featuring. But his advances came to nothing, with Australia’s Test opener Rogers instead handed the prestigious role.

The 37-year-old will now go head to head witha former Middlesex team-mate Eoin Morgan,England’s new one-day captain. Asked about Pietersen’s eagerness to line-up against his old colleagues, Morgan played a reassuringly straight bat in his first media conference as captain.

“I think it was very ambitious,” he said. “It’s a hugely prestigious game, for the Prime Minister’s XI. To give an opportunity to somebody who is not Australian is pretty ambitious. When sides tour England and we put out Lions teams we give opportunities to our youngest and best. I don’t think it would have spiced up the game at all. It doesn’t really bother me.”