KP shouldn’t be rushed back
KEVIN PIETERSEN joins up with the England camp today after surgery on an Achilles tendon injury, but don’t expect our star batsman to be rushed back into the action in South Africa.
Don’t get me wrong, Pietersen is a class act, probably the only world-class performer in the England ranks, but forcing him into a premature return would do more harm than good for the selectors – especially with the top order enjoying being in the runs in his absence.
Already, we’ve seen Jonathan Trott and Joe Denly hit decent knocks of 80-plus, while captain Andrew Strauss has three figures to his name, against the Warriors on Sunday.
That gives the selectors a nice selection headache for the forthcoming one-dayers, but there is plenty of time as far as Pietersen is concerned and you can be assured there will be no rash decisions.
Despite a 20-over defeat in Johannesburg yesterday, England have started the tour in encouraging form. Winning breeds confidence in any walk of life and Strauss’ men go into the head-to-heads with the Proteas in good spirits.
I can remember tours of India, Australia and South Africa where England have not started well and it takes a lot to turn things around mid-tour. Strauss and the selectors will be pretty pleased about their early form.
Trott and Denly are not the only two to catch the eye – fast bowler Sajid Mahmood is also looking the part after two-and-a-half years in the international wilderness.
With Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison gone and Stuart Broad struggling with injury, a bowling place is up for grabs and Mahmood, with his reduced pace and more consistent line and length, looks a pretty good option right now.
Sajid has been a raw talent for too long now, but with Lancashire colleague James Anderson alongside him, he could well be England’s gem.