It’s official. Kevin Pietersen takes over the reins of the England captaincy. Not quite as dramatic as the manner in which both skippers stepped down on a single day after the South Africans made history and drew another nail into the heart of England.
It was neither unexpected nor fascinating, not the announcement anyway. There seemed no other choice anyway. Andrew Flintoff, beloved son of England, is battling his own worries on his comeback and while he has shown a return to form in the unfortunate Test at Edgbaston, the last thing England would have wanted was to burden Flintoff with additional responsibilities. So while Flintoff makes his full recovery, and Michael Vaughan goes fishing or whatever it is that he does when taking a break from the game, Pietersen takes a double gift and savour it as one huge responsibility.
Pietersen is not exactly inheriting a champion side. So, he must be prepared for the intense pressure and scrutiny that will follow his every step. As an individual, he can brush aside criticism and rise above it. He will have to stem it and root his team stronger to apply the same philosophy to turning things around for his team.
Ravindra Bopara will fill in Vaughan’s slot in the batting order while Pietersen will look ahead without thinking of the enormity of the situation which is perhaps come into effect after the next Test is over when England play essentially what is a dead rubber against South Africa on Thursday in the fourth and final Test. While he does not have the benefit of a fresh start, he will still have to lead the team to a respectable finish to what would have been a disheartening result and loss of series to South Africa, something England have not tasted on home turf since 1965. It puts South Africa’s victory in perspective but also, speaks rather lowly of England, something Pietersen will look to change.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) does not appear too disappointed or shocked or they are doing a good job of disguising it. It cannot be an easy task as an administrative body to have captains change twice in five years on a quick about turn. It was said when Vaughan took over the captaincy from Nasser Hussain that ‘these are interesting days ahead for England’. England are stuck with the same line again.