Pietersen row descends into farce as selectors refuse to explain axe
ENGLAND cricket chiefs suffered further embarrassment over the banishment of batsman Kevin Pietersen yesterday when national selector James Whitaker was left squirming in a television interview.
Whitaker faced the cameras following 48 hours of mud-slinging over the England and Wales Cricket Board’s decision to end Pietersen’s international career.
First, he refused to elaborate on the decision, citing unspecified legal reasons, and then in farcical scenes had to interrupt the live interview because his phone rang.
“That is a legal position and at the moment I’m not at liberty to say,” the former Leicestershire player said. “Unfortunately I’m not in a position to reiterate what reasons there have been.”
Former England captains Sir Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain have called on the ECB to reveal the exact reasons for Pietersen’s sacking. Wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior on Wednesday denied claims from broadcaster Piers Morgan that he had betrayed Pietersen during the winter Ashes whitewash in Australia.
Whitaker insisted England could cope without Pietersen in one-day and Twenty20 cricket, in reference to the looming limited-overs tour to the West Indies and the World T20 in Bangladesh.
“The one-day and T20 teams have played a number of matches over the last 12 months without Kevin and, on occasion, performed very well, and I’d hope that’s the case going forward,” he said.
Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen Ali and Lancashire spin-bowler Stephen Parry were the two uncapped players selected for both campaigns yesterday, while Nottinghamshire paceman Harry Gurney is in the squad for the trip to the West Indies.