Young pretenders ready to step up to the plate.
Kevin Pietersen has been a magnificent servant for England. The South African has taken his adopted country to heart, introduced the panache, drive and strength of character that was sorely missing from an England cricket team that was wallowing in an abyss. But now it is time to move on.
It is easier to say which batsmen have performed well in the UAE than list the men who have failed. England's middle order has not settled with the slower pitches nor the spin bowling of the Pakistan team. Ian Bell paid the price with his admission from the the One Day side, and no doubt there will be more changes in time for the tour to Sri Lanka. But its Pietersen I want to focus on, and particularly his place in the One Day team.
KP failed again today to continue his rotten form. 26 from 46 runs is not good in any form of the game, and especially disappointing when the batting lineup has been altered precisely to get the best out of one player. Pietersen's big hitting was an attempt by the England team to finally find the solution to the big hitting issue at the top of the order that first arose when Marcus Trescothick retired.
Runs were not coming at number 4, and perhaps the thought was Pietersen would either rack up a score or hit himself out. A strike rate of 57 launches a missile through that train of thought and with Craig Kieswetter, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Butler waiting for their opportunities one has to wonder how longer the England management will wait for Pietersen to find his form.
Alastair Cook has shown you don't need to smash the ball out of the ground to hit big ODI scores, and with the two new balls the classic opener may find more favour over the power player. Pietersen is not comfortable batting at three never mind opening, so the argument goes if he is not worth a slot in the middle order he is not worth a place in the team.
Sure, the Surrey batsman has credit in the bank and there is obviously a class player there who can dominate the opposition and win games single-handedly but KP's One Day form has been on the wane for a while, and his Test form has also fallen apart. Perhaps the former Notts and Hampshire man has lost a little focus and the removal of one form of the game may help Pietersen get back to his best in the other.
England have many exciting players coming into the One Day picture but there is less competition in the Test team. Test batting would also give Pietersen a more relaxed arena to regain his form and more chances to get bat on ball. It's not over yet for Pietersen but he does not have many chances left and the sooner the young lions get a chance the better.
