After tea, on the third day of the second Test match between
England and South Africa the atmosphere at Leeds became electrifying. A
batsman, who was restrained till then, suddenly broke free to punish one of the
lethal bowling attacks in Test cricket
of the modern era with one of the finest displays of self-belief. It was
extraordinary, it was brilliant and it was jaw- dropping. Kevin Pietersen’s
mind was not cluttered by his standoff with the ECB officials, but instead he scripted a
magical knock to leave everyone spell bound.
There was still something for the bowlers in that Leeds
track. But it became an irrelevance. Since he was being reprieved, KP thought
himself invincible and unleashed a brutal assault. He stood tall and strong against
Mokel, Steyn and Kallis to command full authority. As David Hopps described, “He
flung his front leg to the leg side, to haul a succession of short balls from
Morkel riskily above and beyond three boundary catchers, causing South Africa
to abandon the ploy prematurely; he stood tall to drill Dale Steyn through
point; and he met Jacques Kallis with
the whippiest of straight drives.”
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Nothing
can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. To
control a drastic situation a drastic approach is much needed. On a track which
was showing an uneven bounce to make life difficult for the batsmen , KP took
the challenge and went berserk to dazzle the Leeds crowd. Till now, KP might
not be considered amongst the all-time greats, but on that day the world witnessed greatness
in full swing. The world, again, came to know how special a talent KP is!
Very few in Test cricket can transform an attritional day of
cricket into a riveting one. Very few dare to go aggressive and sail the ship
against the tide. KP belongs to those rare species of cricket.
But the recent saga between KP and ECB have created an
unhealthy environment which might trigger his retirement from Test cricket.
Mind you he has already announced his unavailability from ODIs and T20Is. After
the Leeds Test news broke that, “Kevin Pietersen could have played his last
game for England after conceding that there were deep, perhaps irreparable,
divisions with the ECB and some other members of the England dressing room.” (Cricinfo)
Not an impressive news to cherish at all. Test cricket is in
need of such special talents. It’s never a happy thing to witness the premature
end of a talent who is all set to claim a place amongst the all-time greats. It’s very important to save such talents. The
presence of such special diamonds is critical to keep the flame of Test cricket
shine brightly once and for all.
Whatever the issues, whatever the reasons are there between
the English cricket officials and KP they must be solved for the sake of Test
cricket. KP must not forget which platform has given him the stardom while the
ECB must not forget those players who have essayed an absolute purple patch for
England in Test cricket in recent times.
Great players don’t surface in Test cricket easily and the
emergence of T20 cricket has dried up the production of the true greats in Test
cricket. So, if KP says goodbye to Test cricket then Test cricket will be
poorer. The preservation of KP is important to glorify the white and green
canvas of Test cricket.
Save Kevin Pietersen!
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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