Less than a day into his role as New Zealand coach, Mark Greatbatch has chalked out an immediate priority: to help the pool of batsmen play to the top of their game

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jan-2010Less than a day into his role as New Zealand coach, Mark Greatbatch has chalked out an immediate priority: to help the pool of batsmen play to the top of their game. Greatbatch, who was today appointed head coach after a four-month void following Andy Moles’ resignation in October, has identified batting as an area New Zealand have a lot of work to do on.”In Test cricket you need to take 20 wickets and you also need to score a decent amount of runs. In the past, we have taken wickets but haven’t scored enough runs and that is one area we are looking to improve,” he told Cricinfo after a long Saturday.Greatbatch, who played for New Zealand between 1988 and 1996, will perform the dual responsibility of being part of the national selection panel along with his new appointment. Interestingly, despite being head coach, it is reportedly understood that Greatbatch’s primary focus will remain the batting department with Daniel Vettori continuing to hold the rights on decision-making concerning strategies and selections. The appointment just puts an official stamp on the duties that Greatbatch has already been performing in the last few months.In the aftermath of Moles’ resignation, NZC declared they were in no hurry to fill the breach. In the interim they decided to seek help from within their own ranks. During the ODI series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, where Greatbatch had accompanied the team as a touring selector, he was asked by NZC if he would like to act as a batting consultant. “I went to Abu Dhabi with the team as a selector in November and got involved with the team helping the batsmen,” he said. “At the same time NZC were looking for a replacement for Andy Moles, so they approached me and asked if I would consider an extra role as part of the coaching staff.”The more they talked, the more excited Greatbatch became about the job. “The initial role was predominantly working with the batsmen and helping Dan with any other areas as a captain,” he said.Today, both NZC and Vettori acknowledged the positive impression Greatbatch had made and admitted that clinched him the offer. Greatbatch has already begun talking about pushing forward plans that were set in motion about six months ago. “John Wright and Martin Crowe have been working closely with some of the players outside the Black Caps system on technical and tactical areas to get the best results,” he said. “We also have Glenn Turner on the selection panel, so we have a lot of very good people in our group and it is a matter of utilising them to the fullest and that is going to be the key area through which we are going to improve as a group.”Greatbatch has two previous stints as coach, the first as coaching director at his native Central Districts and then a curtailed two-year experience with Warwickshire with whom he had signed a three-year contract at the end of 2005.His first assignment will be against Bangladesh next week. New Zealand have been robbed of three quality fast bowlers who formed one part of their recent successes. Shane Bond’s fairytale return lasted one victorious Test, Ian O’Brien conceded domestic life was more appealing than finding ways to break through the defence of an opponent, and Kyle Mills has yet to fully recover from injury. In the batting department, the highly-talented Jesse Ryder has been waylaid by a stomach muscle injury.Greatbatch, though, was unruffled and pointed out that his duty was to find out more about the players and what worked best for them, after which the task was to develop it. “As a coaching group, we need to help find the players their A game and work very hard with them on that and help them develop in their practice and repeat it then we can get stronger and more consistent,” he said.But New Zealand, who in 2009 reached the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa and defeated Pakistan in a thrilling victory in Dunedin, their first win in 13 months, face a stern test in March when Australia arrive to play a full series. “The Aussies are looming,” Greatbatch said, “But we are working on improving our Test ranking. We had a very good Test series against Pakistan in December but unfortunately it rained despite us playing well. We are making some progress.”New Zealand will then travel extensively in the Indian subcontinent with a proposed tri-series in Sri Lanka in July, with India the third team, followed by a tour of Bangladesh and then a full tour of India before the World Cup next March.Greatbatch understood the various challenges in the pipeline but was relaxed. His source of confidence remains the same as that of the whole of New Zealand: his captain, Vettori. “I admire the way he plays,” Greatbatch said in praise of Vettori, who started his career when his was ending. “He has his own methods. It is a little bit unique to him but again he has found his A game. He consistently performs with both ball and bat and is a great leader. He is nice and relaxed in the dressing room and I’m looking forward to complementing that.”

Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA)

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Feb-2010Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for over-ruling the recommendation of Daljit Singh last year, which led to the abandonment of the final match of the India-Sri Lanka ODI series at the Feroz Shah Kotla on December 27. As a consequence, Daljit , chairman of the BCCI pitch and grounds committee, and his panel, were sacked the same day by the BCCI, which held him responsible.But Atkinson, who visited various Indian venues hosting next year’s World Cup earlier this month, inspected the Kotla pitch on February 14 and 15. Though he was happy with the remedial work in progress that has started under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, former head of the BCCI curators’ panel, Atkinson stated in the report to the BCCI, a copy of which was available to Cricinfo, that all the controversy could have been easily avoided if the DDCA ground officials had heard Daljit’s suggestions.”As a consequence of the state of affairs that occurred with the pitch throughout last
year, the decision to use of Perennial Rye grass was the only option left at a very late
stage in an attempt to obtain some grass cover for the ODI on the 27th December and
was recommended by Mr. Daljit Singh (Chairman BCCI Pitches Committee) quite
correctly as an emergency measure,” Atkinson wrote.”Unfortunately the then local authority of DDCA did not agree with that course of action and went ahead and planted some local Cynodon grass, creating damage to the surface levels in doing so,” he addedIn the eight-page report, addressed to Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Atkinson explained the disastrous consequences. “As predicted this grass did not grow then, and now the remains of it which is decomposing below the surface of the pitch will need to be removed mechanically so that the organic content will not further dilute the clay content of the soil and reduce the ability of that soil to produce fast hard pitches in the future.”According to Atkinson the surface level, too, was damaged as a result of using a heavy roller, thereby “creating low and high areas (Ridges)”. This was amply evident during the Sri Lanka ODI where Alan Hurst, the match referee, in his report submitted to the ICC few days after the game, said he was forced to stop the match after 23.1 overs because he deemed the Kotla pitch “dangerous” and “unfit”.Consequently the ICC penalised the Indian board and suspended the venue from hosting any international matches until the end of 2010. Though the BCCI appealed against the ICC decision, which was arrived at by the pair Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, the chief match referee, Michael Beloff QC rejected their plea, insisting the penalty was in order.Fans were not happy when the match was called off and Andy Atkinson said the situation could have been avoided•AFP

Last April, after the second edition of the IPL had moved to South Africa, DDCA decided to re-lay the whole ground and Daljit was appointed as a consultant. But just months after the main pitch block was re-laid, DDCA agreed to host the Champions League Twenty20 games, an erroneous decision according to Atkinson.”The new grasses planted then were not given adequate time to grow in and establish a resilient deep root structure,” he wrote, “and when rolling began to prepare the pitches for the IPL Champions League the grass quite unsurprisingly died off as it was too delicate at that time to survive the stresses that were put on it by the act of rolling.”But he is against the re-laying the entire pitch square. “I can find no appropriate reason to excavate and reconstruct the pitch block at this time,” Atkinson said. “The basic construction of the pitch block as supervised by Daljit Singh is sound in my opinion and the reasons for the problems encountered were basically self inflicted by basic and terminal mistakes made by playing on the pitch far too early after its reconstruction in 2009.”With just twelve months to go until the World Cup the process is at a critical stage to get the Kotla back in shape. But Atkinson is not panicking yet as long as his suggestions are followed. “The problems to be overcome for CWC 2011 are fundamental issues of additional correction of the surface levels and ensuring the re‐establishment of the correct grass species by replanting the entire pitch block with the most suitable grasses for its long term benefit.”If the various authorities, and importantly the DDCA, adhere to his guidelines, Atkinson said Delhi would have no problems in hosting their four World Cup games. But there are some strict timelines that need to be adhered to. As soon as the last IPL game ends on April 17, Atkinson has said there will be no play at the ground, which would then undergo complete corrective work for 20 weeks between April 17 and August 31. This would be followed by hosting trial matches to test the pitches between September 1 and November 30. For the next 16 weeks, between December and February 17, 2011 the ground would be completely closed for maintenance and preparations of the pitches and the venue.Atkinson also stated that he would be visiting Delhi frequently, starting on March 15, two days ahead of the first IPL game, to inspect the developments.

Dinesh Karthik, who led South Zone in the finals of the Duleep Trophy, has retained the leadership responsibility the South squad for the Deodhar Trophy

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010Dinesh Karthik, who led South Zone in the finals of the Duleep Trophy, has retained the leadership responsibility of the South squad for the Deodhar Trophy. Alfred Absolem and KB Pawan are the most notable absentees from the Duleep Trophy side. The squad includes 15 members and six stand-bys.Squad: Dinesh Karthik (capt and wk), Srikkanth Anirudha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Subramaniam Badrinath, Saurabh Bandekar, Arun Karthik, Abhimanyu Mithun, Pragyan Ojha, Manish Pandey, Sreesanth, Robin Uthappa, Padmanabhan Prasanth, Ganesh Satish, Murali Vijay and Vinay KumarStand-bys: KP Appanna, Chandrasekar Ganapathy, Muralidharen Gautam (wk), Abhinav Mukund, Udit Patel and Ambati Rayudu

On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning

N Hunter11-Mar-2010On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning.” The Kolkata Knight Riders captain felt there was no point dissecting the past, and the better alternative was to go out and play. It was trademark Ganguly – he did not spell out his enemy, but he made his point, subtly, leaving no doubts in anyone’s mind as to what he was referring to.Ganguly, along with the new coach Dav Whatmore and the entire Kolkata management have been working hard on an entirely new platform, which from the outset has been more transparent and importantly, simpler, compared to the Sudoku grid John Buchanan had asked the squad to solve in order to excel in Twenty20 cricket. Ganguly hasn’t forgotten the confusion and controversy that was created in the first two years of the IPL, but as the team’s seniormost player, he understands he cannot afford to create any further haze when his primary job is to lead the team in the right direction.”One needs to plan, especially when you are on the park. But I believe in execution. I don’t believe in too many ideas or team meetings,” Ganguly said, with a stern face, after a two-hour long training session at the Bandra-Kurla Complex ground. “I believe planning is 10% and execution 90%.”So batsmen played with straight, slanting and even upside-down bats as Whatmore offered them the freedom and space to understand what they were doing. At the other end, Wasim Akram mentored the bowlers including Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Mashrafe Mortaza and Jaydev Unadkat, the Under-19 bowler. Clearly, there was a sea change in the way the training session went about in the past.In the first two years, various coaches would be spotted, busy noting down various things, just like a nurse records a patient’s heartbeat, pulse etc. The paraphernalia was conspicuously absent today, replaced by more word-of-mouth signals, creating a different kind of buzz.”I would like to leave the player to play to his strengths. That’s how everybody has played and been successful. Maybe you can just tell them the amount of runs needed on the board or what has to be chased,” Ganguly said. “Other than that, if I keep changing (the player’s style) at this minute, it’s not going to help.”While the majority of the teams managed to devise the right processes, along with the right combinations in the first two years of the IPL, Kolkata were affected by a lack of clarity. As a consequence they have underperformed in first two editions. Still, there is hope. Ask Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers captain, who said he could relate to his opponent’s circumstances as he had been in the same spot that Kolkata now find themselves in: bottom of the barrel.”I know that feeling. I’ve started the tournament like that before,” Gilchrist said, denying the opening clash of the IPL tomorrow was a mismatch considering Deccan, the defending champions, are playing last year’s wooden-spoon holders. “I don’t think you can take it for granted that there are any mismatches in the tournament. Everyone starts afresh.”Ganguly has been stressing the same in his interactions with the squad, out in the open and behind closed doors. It is now up to the players to go out and express themselves.

The prospects of Lalit Modi remaining IPL chairman and commissioner appeared to recede on Wednesday with the BCCI talking tough on action over the allegations against him

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2010The prospects of Lalit Modi remaining IPL chairman and commissioner appeared to recede on Wednesday with the BCCI talking tough on action over the allegations against him, while the federal intelligence agencies widened their investigations to include the IPL TV rights holders.In New Delhi, Rajiv Shukla, the board’s media and finance committee chairman, issued a statement saying the IPL governing council’s decision, to be taken at its April 26 meeting, would be final and binding on those concerned. “The question of people refusing to back down or not, they don’t matter,” Shukla told PTI. “After the meeting between BCCI president Shashank Manohar and Sharad Pawar yesterday, it has been decided that, at the April 26 governing council meeting, we will sit together and unanimously decide what to do.”Shukla, who is reported to be briefing the Prime Minister on the issue at some point on Wednesday, said the BCCI was ready to take tough decisions if required to uphold its image. “These decisions would be in the interest of cricket and the BCCI. No matter how harsh they might seem, decisions would be taken to protect the BCCI and cricket’s image in the country. We have never compromised on our image in the past 60 years and there will be no compromise this time too,” he said.The controversy began with Modi questioning the role of Shashi Tharoor, the former federal minister, in the Kochi franchise, but has widened considerably to include Modi’s role in the IPL, the financial affairs of the franchises and several of the other stakeholders in the tournament.On Wednesday, the Income Tax department raided the offices of Multi Screen Media (MSM) and World Sports Group (WSG), the two firms that hold the TV broadcast rights to the IPL. The “surveys”, as tax officials call them, were conducted in four different locations, including the home of the WSG’s South Asia president, Venu Nair.In 2008, WSG bagged the TV rights for a ten-year period, with a $918 million bid and a promise to spend $108m on promoting the event. It had simultaneously signed a deal with MSM that Sony would be the official broadcaster. The contract was recast before IPL 2009, with MSM agreeing to pay $1.63 billion for nine years.That contract is now believed to be the subject of investigation but WSG has denied allegations of impropriety. “Any allegation that World Sports Group has used any funds received in connection with its sub-licence of these rights for inappropriate or unlawful activities is completely unfounded and without substance,” read a statement issued by WSG.

New South Wales will look to Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken to drive their bowling attack in 2010-11 after the pair was cut from Australia’s contract list

Cricinfo staff08-May-2010New South Wales will look to Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken to drive their bowling attack in 2010-11 after the pair was cut from Australia’s contract list. Clark is being considered as a full-time captain and Bracken will also have a mentoring role as the Blues aim to develop their exciting young talent.The fast bowler Trent Copeland, 24, has also been elevated to a full state contract following a record-breaking debut season. He joins a batch of young pacemen that includes the promising Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Moises Henriques.”The return of Clark and Bracken will greatly assist the development of our younger players,” New South Wales’ chief executive Dave Gilbert said. “New South Wales has the all-round depth to challenge in all three domestic competitions next year.”Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan has a Twenty20 contract while the senior players Dominic Thornely and Grant Lambert have been cut from the outfit. New South Wales have named a squad of 33 that includes their nine Cricket Australia-signed stars.New South Wales contracts Nathan Bracken, Mark Cameron, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Burt Cockley, Trent Copeland, Peter Forrest, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phil Jaques, Usman Khawaja, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Tillakaratne Dilshan (Twenty20 contract).

Cricket Australia contracts Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Steven Smith, Shane Watson.

Rookies Tim Armstrong, Luke Doran, Nic Maddinson, Joe Mennie, Timm Van Der Gugten, Adam Zampa.

Lalit Modi has promised a show tomorrow at the Cricket Centre, the BCCI headquarters, but it is likely to end up as a silent affair, barring the media noise

Nagraj Gollapudi09-May-2010Lalit Modi is expected to reply in in person on Monday to the show-cause notice served by the Indian board, comprising five charges, on April 26. However, his appearance at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai is unlikely to produce the dramatic denouement the saga has promised.On Saturday, after sending an emissary with the documents asked by the board last month post his suspension, Modi said that he had nothing to hide and he would “personally reply” to the show-cause slapped on him.BCCI sources said Modi’s reply, once it comes in, will be taken up by the board’s three-man disciplinary committee, comprising Shashank Manohar (BCCI president) and two vice-presidents – Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin, who was appointed the interim IPL chairman after Modi’s suspension. “The disciplinary committee is likely to meet in mid-June,” a BCCI official said.Immediately after his suspension, Modi had threatened to come out with various revelations that would expose many names. “Wait for the IPL to finish – I will reveal the men who have tried to bring disrepute to the game and how we stopped them from doing it,” he’d said. It is clear, though, that Modi’s reply is going to be detailed and voluminous – some estimates put it at 5000 pages.But for now, Modi will need to remain patient to hear from the disciplinary committee, which might even ask him to depose before it if need be; otherwise the panel would pass its conclusions to the board. The special general body will then sit to take a vote on the decisions and ratify. Meanwhile, Modi will have the opportunity to challenge the board’s decision.

Andrew Miller presents the highlights from the fourth day at Lord’s as Tamim Iqbal captivates the crowd with a brilliant hundred and Jonathan Trott claims a vital first Test wicket

Andrew Miller at Lord's30-May-2010Celebration of the dayIt was Michael Slater who first dispensed with decorum at Lord’s when, in 1993, he punched the air and kissed the crest of his Australia helmet after reaching his maiden Test hundred. Today, Tamim Iqbal carried that exuberance an extra yard or 20. Having cavorted through the nineties in a calculated assault on Tim Bresnan, he secured Bangladesh’s first Test century at the home of cricket with a dismissive smack back over the bowler’s head, whereupon he hurtled almost to within touching distance of the dressing-room balcony, and pointed to the back of his shirt as if to tell his team-mates to get on with the business of sticking his name up on the honours-board. Clearly, in his excitement, Tamim forgot that his name only appears on his back in ODI and Twenty20 contests, but after racking up a sublime century from 94 deliveries, he might as well have been playing limited-overs.Shot of the dayThere were so many to choose from, most of them audacious and nearly all of them impeccably timed, but nothing confirmed the presence of a rare talent quite like the short-arm pull with which Tamim rifled Steven Finn through midwicket for four. The shot was the third of three fours in a row, and whereas the first two were based entirely on bravado – a bludgeoning drive and a streaky edge – this was an emphatic stamp of class. The ball was short and rose steeply, but Tamim rocked back with his weight perched daintily on one leg, a la Brian Lara, and all that remained was for the fielders to whistle in admiration.Acceleration of the dayThroughout their alliances at the top of the Bangladesh order, Tamim and Imrul Kayes have been like the hare and the tortoise – only without the twist to the end of the fable. Until this Test, Kayes’ highest score in 22 Test innings had been a measly 33, and it was to his great credit that the lure of Lord’s brought him out of his shell. After a first-innings 43, Kayes was briefly the pacesetter in the follow-on, as he hustled along to 48 from 71 balls, with Tamim trailing in his wake on 37 not out (albeit from just 44 balls). But then, while Kayes fretted over his landmark, Tamim went into overdrive, adding 40 runs to his total from 27 balls before his partner could notch up his fifty.Over of the dayAs England discovered to their frustration on Friday, their attack was pretty toothless when the sun broke through the clouds. So, when Andrew Strauss turned to his spinner, Graeme Swann, at 102 for 0 in the 22nd over, he did so in the knowledge that he was running short on options. Tamim’s response was to batter England’s Player of the Year into submission from the word go. The first ball was a mistimed charge that telegraphed his intent; the second ball was belted high and handsomely into the Mound Stand for six. A brutal drive for four came next, and then it was down onto one knee once more, for another scintillating slog-sweep over the ropes. Seventeen runs were swiped from the over, as England’s toils continued.Breakthrough of the dayJonathan Trott once claimed career-best bowling figures of 7 for 39 – unfortunately the horse (Kent on that occasion) had already bolted by the time he was called into the attack, with his first wicket coming at 534 for 3. He’d have been forgiven for feeling a similar sense of foreboding when Andrew Strauss threw him the ball as a last resort this afternoon, with Bangladesh cruising on 265 for 2. But in a diligent spell of wicket-to-wicket medium-pace, Trott throttled the run-rate and made the incision, as Jahurul Islam inside-edged into his pads, for the bowler to snaffle a sprawling chance in his followthrough.Cameo of the dayMohammad Ashraful could not have hoped for friendlier conditions as he walked out for his second innings of the match. The ground was lit up by late-evening sunshine, his top-order colleagues had demonstrated beyond any doubt the absence of malice in the pitch (and the opposition, for that matter), and as for the Lord’s faithful, they were bound to be predisposed to a player whom they still recall and revere for his Aussie-toppling innings at Cardiff in 2005. Sure enough, he notched his first boundary from the third delivery he faced, then added three four in the space of eight deliveries, including a sumptuous uppercut to deflect Finn through third man. Alas, it was not to last. Jimmy Anderson, armed with the new ball, tied him down in a tight and threatening over, before inducing a nick through to Matt Prior.

James Franklin fell one run short of becoming the first Gloucestershire player this season to hit a County Championship century

29-Jun-2010

ScorecardJames Franklin fell one run short of becoming the first Gloucestershire player this season to hit a County Championship century as his side took control of the game against Middlesex at Bristol. The New Zealand allrounder was caught off a top-edged pull shot for 99, his third score in the 90s this summer. But it set up a first-innings total of 404 for 8 and a lead of 168 going into the third day. Hamish Marshall contributed 68, Alex Gidman 61 and Chris Dent 53.It was a tough day in the field for Middlesex, who were without Owais Shah for much of it because of a back problem. Pedro Collins also suffered a back injury when diving for a ball, but was able to take the second new ball after treatment. Gloucestershire began on 81 for 2 and progressed sedately as overnight batsmen Marshall and Dent consolidated with half-centuries. Marshall was first to his fifty off 75 balls, with seven fours and a six.England Under-19 player Dent has played some valuable innings in his first season of championship cricket and the left-hander again showed good temperament in facing 112 deliveries for his half-century, which featured six fours and a six. The partnership of 126 was broken when Dent fended a chest-high ball from Toby Roland-Jones to Scott Newman at short square-leg.That brought in skipper Gidman, who helped take the total to 193 for 3 at lunch. Marshall then fell to the second ball of the afternoon session, bowled pushing forward to Neil Dexter without addition to the score. When Chris Taylor was also bowled, shouldering arms in Dexter’s next over it was 199 for 5 and Gloucestershire were still 37 behind.But Gidman was well set and reached his fifty off 86 balls, with eight fours as he and Franklin produced a partnership of 76 to put their side 39 runs ahead. It ended when the captain played across a topspinner from Dawid Malan and departed lbw. Middlesex immediately took the second new ball, but neither Collins nor Tim Murtagh could force another breakthrough.At tea it was 319 for 6, with Franklin on 45. Jon Lewis made a valuable 30 and by the time he was run out by bowler Tom Smith attempting a suicidal single Gloucestershire’s lead was 88.Franklin hit five fours in a composed 87-ball fifty and then added two sixes. He looked sure to reach three figures when miscuing a short ball from Dexter and watching in horror as Smith claimed a good catch at deep square. Gloucestershire still went on to maximum batting points and look well placed to boost their promotion challenge.

Kevin Pietersen’s ongoing struggle for form remains England’s single biggest concern following a thumping 354-run victory over Pakistan at Trent Bridge

Andrew Miller at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2010Kevin Pietersen’s ongoing struggle for form remains England’s single biggest concern following a thumping 354-run victory over Pakistan at Trent Bridge. The match was wrapped up with five sessions to spare as James Anderson dismissed the visitors for 80 in their second innings, but having contributed scores of 9 and 22 to the contest, Pietersen has now gone 22 innings without a Test century, with the most recent of his 16 hundreds coming against West Indies at Trinidad in March 2009.Pietersen has not been entirely devoid of form in that time. He made 99 against Bangladesh at Chittagong in March before claiming the Man of the Series award for his flamboyant performances in England’s triumphant World Twenty20 campaign. But the consistent dominance that he showed against all opponents up to and including the time of his removal as England captain in early 2009 has deserted him, and shows no sign of returning in the immediate future.England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, repeated a familiar team refrain when he declared that Pietersen’s determination to succeed was as absolute as ever, and while there was little to show for his contribution in the scorebook, Strauss singled out his second-innings effort of 22 as a vital factor in enabling England to pull away from Pakistan in the latter stages of the third day. Having come to the crease early following the loss of both openers, Pietersen added 48 for the third wicket with Jonathan Trott, before Kamran Akmal clung onto an outstanding one-handed catch to dismiss him via an inside-edge.”KP is fine,” Strauss said. “He wasn’t able to make a telling contribution in this game, although he batted better in the second innings and made a very important contribution because both him and Trott had to dig deep. The contributions maybe don’t look all that good in terms of the figures they finished up the game with, but the first 30 overs of every innings was very tough work for batting, and there were more contributions than just the guys who got the big runs.”All the same, Pietersen has had a variety of distractions in recent weeks – both on the home front, where he recently became a father for the first time, and perhaps more significantly, down at his county Hampshire, where he is now persona non grata after declaring his intention to seek a new base closer to his London home. As a consequence of that, he was recently snubbed for a CB40 fixture against Kent, after the ECB requested that he play to gain match practice ahead of the Test.Strauss, however, was confident that that row had not impacted significantly on his cricket. “KP has always been very clear in his mind what he needs to do practice-wise, and that’s not changed on the back of him not getting a county game with Hampshire,” he said. “He’s done a lot of work with Gooch, and the most important thing is he feels well prepared. Not playing in that game hasn’t made him feel less prepared.”We’re all hopeful he does find a club for next season, because it’s important for there to be that relationship between the counties and the England team, and that it’s a healthy relationship. On the one hand, England players can go there to get form, on the other, those England players can pass on their experience to the younger guys in the county dressing room. That’s how it works.”