Debating Kevin Pietersen
In the Guardian , former captains Kim Hughes and Bob Willis debate whether Kevin Pietersen is the right man to help England regain the Ashes after their 5-0 humiliation in Australia
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
In the Guardian, former captains Kim Hughes and Bob Willis debate whether Kevin Pietersen is the right man to help England regain the Ashes after their 5-0 humiliation in Australia. While Hughes believes KP has it in him to upset the world champions, Willis begs to differ. He feels England that no matter how good a captain Pietersen is, the bottomline is that he doesn't have the firepower in the bowling to script victories consistently.
Here's Hughes' take:
Kevin was always going to be the No 1 challenge to Australia; he is confident, cocky, the things every good player is. He will captain as he bats: with supreme confidence and leaving his opponents constantly guessing at what he is going to do next. He is a gambler and to be honest I think that's going to be good for English cricket, not evidence of a lack of responsibility. He will be enthusiastic and aggressive but the most important thing is that he doesn't try to change his exuberant style because he has to remain England's match winner.
And Willis:
It would be nice to turn back the clock and reunite the four seam bowlers, Harmison, Hoggard, Jones and Flintoff , but that is not going to happen. Hoggard's days are behind him; Harmison might have an opportunity to get back but he is not going to want to tour to India; Jones has not played at Test level since 2005; and Flintoff has only just returned to the side.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo