England need the old Kevin Pietersen back

Success on the field and off it may see Kevin Pietersen reinventing himself from a highly focused solo artist to a family man content to settle for the rung below the greats, Derek Pringle writes in the Daily Telegraph. For the sake of the Ashes series, though, England fans will want to see once more the fearless batsman with the skunk hairdo and diamond earring.

Every batsman experiences a wobble or two during their career but Pietersen’s quivering uncertainty when faced by left-arm spinners has been a real David and Goliath leveller for England’s most talented batsman. Whether the underlying doubts came before or after the lefties exposed him is the chicken-and-egg question Pietersen and England need to crack if he is to become a match-changer again.