The Pietersen dilemma

Were England strong or simply petulant in dealing out such extreme punishment, perhaps also inflicting a wound upon themselves? Might not a heavy fine have been more fitting, thus not depriving the public of KP’s spectacular batting?

What does Geoff Boycott, himself not the most popular player in the England dressing-room, think about all this? “Don’t even think of saying that Botham and Boycott were talented, awkward buggers but helped win matches and that someone had to man-manage them. We never rubbished our captains to the opposition while playing with them,” he wrote this week. Dear old “Boycs” seems to have forgotten that he was once dropped for slow scoring and that Botham once deliberately ran him out in order to speed up a victory drive in a Test match in Christchurch. These big-time cricketers. What would you do with ‘em?