After the resignation of Michael Vaughan as the captain of England cricket team the appointment of Kevin Pietersen in his place is a gamble.
There is little doubt that
Pietersen is the best batsman in the side, but will he make a successful captain?
The three former England captains Vaughan, Hussein and
Atherton have all been very sober and calm characters. You couldn't doubt their grit and determination, but, dare I say it, weren't they sometimes a little boring? A little too 'by the book', a little too... oh dear... 'English'.
Pietersen is anything but 'by the book'. Just look at his incredible stroke play. He has single
handedly brought the term 'switch-hitting' to cricketing life.
He is flamboyant, but he is single-minded in his pursuit of success. Past
occasions show that he plays his best under pressure and who knows, maybe the captaincy will take his game to an even higher level. As an Englishman I sincerely hope so.
Announcing the squad for the final test against South Africa tomorrow this is what
Pietersen said:
"
Sidey's struggling with a few niggles," said
Pietersen. "We all saw he was down on pace last week, so he's not fit at the moment and we decided to give him a bit of a break to get away from things. But Steve is buzzing, properly buzzing. You can see that little smile on his face, and he'll be given the responsibility to take the new ball tomorrow."
It's upbeat, snappy and to the point. Quite a change from the droll captains of the past.
On the other hand, it could all go wrong. How well
Pietersens famous 'ego' will be able to withstand all the responsibility is yet to be seen. My bet is that a honeymoon period will, sooner or later, come to a sudden end. But let's hope I'm wrong.
