Player Profile: Kevin Pietersen

The Ashes 2009

Player Profiles and Predictions

by Chris Smith

England Captain

Kevin Pietersen

Still an unproven captain but quite possibly England’s finest and most talented batsman of the modern era. He backs up his talent with an amazing work ethic off the field. His planning and preparation for every match are of the highest order. He devises plans against teams and indeed against individual bowlers, the fact that he can carry out what he intends to do shows his talent, the fact that he makes such good and sometimes audacious plans is the measure of the man’s confidence and cricketing brain. This summer’s series against South Africa showed mostly the best but also the worst of his game. His plan against Makhaya Ntini almost rendered the bowler useless against him, using the angle of the bowler against him and playing beautifully through the leg side. In fact throughout the series he had many of the bowlers scratching their heads. Just when you thought he was invincible though, Pietersen showed his fallible side. With such a desire to dominate and a huge ego to boost, he finds it very difficult to hold back when the situation demands it. Pietersen needs to play in a flamboyant and sometimes risky way, this is the character of the man, he cannot graft his way through difficult situations he has to apply his game to the situation. The problem Pietersen has, is knowing that when he is on top and in top gear, to not search for a higher gear still and give his wicket away when games are for the taking. This was never clearer illustrated than in the third test against South Africa when he gave his wicket cheaply to Paul Harris at a crucial time when South Africa were looking ragged. In that moment the game and the series were lost. There probably wouldn’t have been a chance without Pietersen but his greatness rests on winning games for England and he could have won that game for England, South Africa were all out of ideas.

Ashes prediction

Pietersen loves the big games and always raises his game for Australia. This series will be no different, I expect plenty of runs from England’s captain in a very attacking style. His plan will be to not let Australia’s bowlers bowl at him and expect some innovative and exciting batting. England’s player of the series.

Pietersen’s test record (as of 24/11/08)

Overall:

Matches: 43

Runs: 3890

Bat Ave: 50.51

Vs Australia:

Matches: 10

Runs: 963

Bat Ave: 53.50

Ashes Tickets Available via Ballot

Yorkshire County Cricket Club has announced that in view of high public demand for next summer's fourth ashes test to be held at Headingly; that they have established an online ballot system to decide the allocation of the few remaining tickets that are to be put on sale.

Australia play England at Headingley Carnegie between Friday August 7 to Tuesday August 11, 2009.

The online ballot will open on Monday December 1 and close on January 31 2009. To enter the ballot you simply have to fill out an online form that can be found on the official Yorkshire County Cricket site.

The draw will take place during February with the successful applicants be notified.

Each applicant will be able to apply for up to four tickets per day on the ballot form. The number of tickets available may be revised to two tickets per person per day in view of the number of applicants who register online.

Please note that Yorkshire CCC have stressed that applications will not be accepted over the telephone or in person under any circumstances. To avoid disappointment, interested parties should not come to the ground or telephone the club on December 1.

Should more ashes tickets become available in the future Yorkshire CCC will hold similar ballots.

Good Luck getting your hands on some ashes tickets!

Aussie Captain Backs Hayden For the Ashes 2009

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has given Aussie opener Matthew Hayden his full support and backing after the openers latest couple of failure's against New Zealand in the recent Test victory over the black caps. These two failures with the bat come on the back of a poor tour to India for Hayden, who admitted last week that his place in the baggy green line up was by no means assured.

Hayden's poor form with the bat has led to great speculation in the Australian media whether or not Hayden will be good enough to partake in next years Ashes series.

The 37 year old batsman who is preparing to play his 100th test match in Adelaide next weekend should gain a degree of confidence after his skipper declared Hayden as the best opener in the country. Ponting also went on to predict that Hayden would celebrate his 100th appearance for Australia in style.

Ponting feels that Matthew Hayden still has the desire and hunger to compete at test level and feels that Hayden will be a key figure during next years ashes tour.

"I feel skills-wise and hunger-wise Matthew Hayden is still my best opener," said Ponting.

"I have seen how hungry Matty is. I think anyone batting in the top order can be excused for their batting here. The ball he got in the second innings would get any player in the world out first ball."

Hayden only got 8 in the 1st innings against New Zealand before getting a peach of a first ball delivery from Chris Martin in the 2nd.

"The pleasing thing for me about it is I got down here early the next day and Matty makes me bring him a coffee from the hotel," Ponting said.

"I put the coffee on his seat because I did not think he was at the ground but he was in the indoor nets already and he had been there for nearly an hour.

"That said to me that real hunger was still there. He has always been one to work extremely hard on his game if he feels there is something not quite right.

"I know Matthy's game as well as anyone because I played so long with him. I have picked things up about the way he thinks and the way he plays and he will say `how did you know that?"

"I haven't seen anything to suggest he is not as good as he used to be. It is only a couple of Tests ago he made a terrific 80. He got a couple of poor decisions in India and when you are not scoring as many runs as you like those things tend to add up pretty quickly.

"I wouldn't be reading too much into Matty's form. He has his 100th Test this week. I know having been there and done that it is one of those things in my career I was most proud of.

"He can reap the benefits of the work he has done this week and I wouldn't be surprised if you see another really good score."

Australia will need all the experience they can get for next years Ashes series, particularly to help support the younger players who are in the process of establishing themselves as international test cricketers, but at the same time Australia cannot afford to carry any particular player in the squad. Everyone will have to earn their place!

As crucial as the home and away test series against South Africa is for Australia's build up to the Ashes, you can't help to think that, that particular series will decide if Matthew Hayden joins the touring ashes party to England next summer or not.

Hayden - The Ashes 2009 No Certainty

Australian opener Matthew Hayden has indicated that he himself has doubts over his involvement in next years ashes series.

I am sure that Hayden would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to finish his career with a victory against England in the ashes, but that is some way off yet.

Hayden's admission comes on the back of a poor series with the bat during Australia's recent tour of India. Australia, of course lost the series 2-0, the first series defeat since the Ashes in 2005.

Hayden is old enough and wise enough to know that international cricket is not to be taken for granted and is currently taking each test game by game.

Hayden knows there is a lot of cricket ahead of next years ashes tour and that he is no certainty for selection but is equally not writing himself and his chances of involvement in the series off.

"I reckon there is a chance of that always. When you get to my age, you get to a point where the next 12 months is a long, long way away. But having said that, I have been really process-driven right the way through my career," said Hayden.

"It's all been about how I was going to present myself for this Test match and whether I was in good shape to play. I feel like both of those are crossed off. Both (wife) Kellie and I have really kept it as simple as that," Hayden told the 'Herald Sun'.

Hayden also said he needs to ask himself whether he has the urge and the fire in his belly to represent Australia. "There are two answers that I need to say to myself before I present myself for Australia. One of them is, am I willing to make the sacrifices to be the best athlete I can be, whatever that takes?"

And the second is, is that fire burning within me to play good cricket for Australia - or anyone else that I'll be playing for, for that matter."

Any athlete, no matter how good they once were, needs drive, ambition and application to succeed. Hayden will, I'm sure be the first to know when that has gone.

Ashes Preperations could be Disrupted

Dave Kidd has reported in today's People Newspaper, that the ECB's preparation plans for next summer's Ashes series could be thrown into turmoil due to England players refusing to sign their central contracts.

Apparently the England players elected not to sign the contracts until after the Stanford match (and we all know how that went). The England players feel miffed that they lost their £650,000 per man match and subsequently came away from the West Indies with nothing.

The centrally-contracted players feel that they are missing out on some big money that is on offer from the IPL (Indian Premier League). Of course the ECB did try and replace the lure of the IPL with the Stanford match, however, as was proven; if a team loses that one-off match the players walk away with nothing, compared with the guaranteed income/wages on offer from IPL franchises.

The ECB have only made the contracted players available to the IPL for twelve days next spring.

That decision by the ECB has led IPL franchise owners to insist that they will not be employing any centrally-contracted England players next season.

This in house fighting could seriously disrupt the England teams preparations for next summer's ashes series. Let's hope the players and the ECB can sort something out and reach an agreement.

Vaughan Begins His Ashes Quest

Michael Vaughan has begun his quest to return to the international cricketing fold today when it was announced that Vaughan would be joining England's performance programme that is due to tour India in ten days time.

Vaughan revealed playing in the 2009 Ashes Series is one of the main motivational reasons behind his inclusion in England's Performance programme squad.

Vaughan has had a three-month layoff from the game. The ECB confirmed today Vaughan will be joining the England Performance Programme, giving a clear indication that Vaughan is prepared to put in the time and effort to fight for his England recall.

The performance programme squad will play two four-day matches during a month-long tour.

Vaughan was surprisingly awarded a 12-month central contract by the ECB in September after being omitted from the final South African test in the summer following his resignation as England captain. Vaughan was also omitted from the full 15-man England squad that is currently in India preparing to play seven one-day internationals and two Tests.

The Yorkshire batsman captained the England side that regained the Ashes in 2005. Vaughan is indeed one of England's most successful captains. He hopes his performances will help him break back into the full side for Australia’s visit next summer.

"That would be the pinnacle, to get back in and try and play in the Ashes,” said Vaughan.

"I just want to try and do as well as I can and get that feeling of batting and scoring runs again. I'm sure it will be just around the corner.

“Ultimately, I'd love another go at Australia and beyond that.

"I've had a good break, it's a break that I would have had at this time of year anyway, so I feel ready to get back and hopefully try and push for a place in the England side."

One of England’s selectors, Geoff Miller, agreed that Michael Vaughan could win back his place in the England side, but warned the Yorkshireman it will not be easy.

Miller said: “He’s had his break, he required it and he has come back refreshed. He’s now in the position that he has to start putting in some performances to get himself back in the side.”

“He’s got to overtake the players who currently occupy those positions in the side and those that are in contention for a Test place, and that can only be done by performances.

“But he’ll work hard at it. I know he wants to get back in the side and he’s a quality player.

“We are a better side when he’s playing well because of his experience, but he’ll have to force his way back in via his performances.”

During their tour of India, the Performance squad will link up with the main England team which will be Vaughans first involvement since handing over the captaincy reigns to Kevin Pietersen. The current England captain was delighted to hear of Vaughan’s call-up.

“It's good because it gives us strength in depth to have a guy like that around with his experience,” he said.

“He's coming back into the fold now and has his head back on - and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the England team, which is great.”

Monty Panesar, who is not part of the England ODI set-up, has also been added to the performance squad ahead of the Test series in India to act as preparation ahead of the Test series against India.