How far the mighty fall. The sight of Kevin Pietersen once warmed the hearts of his team-mates and sent tremors through the opposition. Sadly, that is no longer the case, says Stephen Brenkley, who asserts in the Independent that Pietersen’s departure from the World Cup is actually a relief for England.

For a while back then, there was a chance that Kevin Pietersen would become a great cricketer. The time has gone. As he prepared to leave England's World Cup campaign yesterday, 48 hours after it was announced that he would struggle through the tournament, the overwhelming feeling was of relief.

ICC Cricket World Cup

Tariq Engineer is a former senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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