Bring back the England of old
Will
25-Feb-2013
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Cricinfo’s own Andrew Miller interviews Kevin Pietersen in the Sunday Telegraph:
What's the toughest situation you've ever faced as a batsman?
I've played in some really tough situations since I made my debut but I honestly don't think anything will ever be as bad as walking to the wicket against South Africa at The Wanderers [in January 2005]. That was a massive series for me, I was back in the country where I'd come from and I copped so much stick, all day, every day.
I've played in some really tough situations since I made my debut but I honestly don't think anything will ever be as bad as walking to the wicket against South Africa at The Wanderers [in January 2005]. That was a massive series for me, I was back in the country where I'd come from and I copped so much stick, all day, every day.
In the same paper Andrew Strauss - who in the continued absence of Andrew Flintoff, will captain England against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Thursday – writes his weekly diary, and insists England have the “raw ingredients” to beat sides in the absence of Flintoff. He does, however, hint that the bowlers need to improve on their showing at Lord’s:
We showed last week that we have the raw ingredients to beat Pakistan without Flintoff, and in some ways being forced to play without him may in time reduce the reliance that we place on his performances. The difficulty in losing a genuine all-rounder from the team is that it affects the balance of the side. He does the job of two players, but can only be replaced by one. Ian Bell showed that he is more than capable of filling Flintoff's boots with the bat in his hand, but extra pressure is put on our bowlers in his absence. In situations like this, the senior players, those who have experienced the rough and tumble of Test cricket for a while, will have to put their hands up and make up for our loss.
In the Sunday Mail, Chris Foy reveals that despite Paul Collingwood’s increasing maturity as a middle-order batsman, he is still painfully wary of assuming he has “made it.”
"The other day, to me, was as perfect as it gets," he said. "Everything about it — the Lord's full house, the Long Room. You probably can't describe to people what the Long Room was like as I walked through.
"It was just lined with people giving me a standing ovation. I was thinking, 'What the hell am I doing here?'. I was walking off Lord's to a reception like that and it was genuinely surreal. I have to pinch myself."
"It has taken a long time to get into the Test side — I have been touring since the last Ashes series in Australia. That's why I want to make sure that spot is mine. Anyway, I'm probably the kind of character who likes to push himself so I don't necessarily want to feel too comfortable."
Over in the Sunday Times, David Gower implores England to resurrect the attacking instincts and sheer boldness which helped down the Australians last summer:
After all, England out-thought the Aussies last year, and it appeared that they had learnt the art of taking the fight to the opposition first. Only a similar approach will do for the rest of the summer against Pakistan. As we know from the winter tour there, they are not a side to be beaten easily; indeed, they are ranked above England at the moment.