KP exit key to England's recovery?

It has been a long time coming, but Kevin Pietersen has finally parted company with the international squad following the decision that he would not be a part of the ODI or T20 series for England's tour of the West Indies.

The reason I say it has been a 'long time' coming is because both his form and his attitude has led to an inevitable, self-inflicted consequence of failing to perform, whilst simultaneously believing that he is, as has been proven on a number of occasions throughout his career, above the rest of the team.

Pietersen's turbulent career has been forecast from a very early stage, with his disruptive nature spanning as far back as 1999 when he was a member of the KwaZula Natal team in his native country of South Africa.

After facing omission from this team due to what he believed to be a quota-based decision, rather than merit, Pietersen's anger can be identified by his comments regrading the captain of the national team, Greame Smith, referring to him as, "an absolute muppet, childish and strange."

Before his career had even begun, he had established himself as a controversial player, but a talented player in equal measure. 

Nasser Hussain spotted his potential and recommended that he sign for an English county and, in 2001, he made his debut for Nottinghamshire, scoring his maiden first-class century against Loughborough UCCE.

Pietersen seemed to keep his head down for a while and his reduced notoriety did not seem to impact his scoring, as he made over 1,200 runs in his first season averaging 57.95. In the following season he scored four consecutive centuries and his potential as Test player was on the rise every time he played.

Due to his performance in the 2003 season, Pietersen was selected for ECB national academy tour of India, but back at home, matters were taking a sour twist.

With Pietersen's career on the rise, Nottinghamshire's relegation and 'poor pitches' at the time led to Pietersen requesting a move to another county, causing the captain at the time, Jason Gallian to brake some of his equipment, saying that "if he doesn't want to play for Notts he can...", well he wasn't happy.

Here, Pietersen seems to have been unjustified for using what was, and remains, a Test match venue as a poor batting surface, as an excuse for becoming part of a team who were set to play in the second division.

Made to honour the final year of his contract, Pietersen made an immediate move to Hampshire, under the captaincy of Shane Warne.

His signing was, however, redundant from Hampshire's point of view, as Pietersen remained a key player for the national squad for many years to come and due to his central contract, the South-Coast outfit only acquired his services on 26 occasions in his six-year spell with the club.  

A much lighter reasoning for his departure from Hampshire, the birth of his son, meant that the top-order batsman would move to Surrey and if he started to complain about The Oval as a batting surface then, clearly, he was not destined to be a groundsmen after retiring. 

Pietersen had to endure a large amount of criticism when he returned to South Africa with the England squad, but was able to silence his critics with a number of impressive batting displays. 

At one stage his ODI average was a staggering 234.00, but his true calling would be in Test cricket and the historic return of of the Ashes into English hands.

By scoring 158, Pietersen allowed the fifth and final Test to end in a draw leading to euphoric celebration, under the notion that he was, rightly, one of a number of heroes. 

Pietersen continued to dominate for England and in 2010 guided England to victory in the World ICC Twenty20, averaging 62.00 and was named player of the series. 

This purple patch may well have heightened a pre-existing arrogance, but when a player is, or rather was, as good as Pietersen, it is hard to criticise, that is of course, if they continue to be world-class. 

Unfortunately for KP his form dipped and England, and the ECB for that matter, were left with a tough decision, one which is still yet to be fully explained, but one which was perhaps justified in light of past and recent events. 

Former England coach - Peter Moores. 

Pietersen retired from limited overs cricket, stating that the next generation of cricketers should be given the opportunity, but this did not stop him from accepting a highly-payed role on three separate occasions in the Indian Premier League, but who could blame him?

His fall out with the current Lancashire coach, Peter Moores, came as a result of Pietersen questioning Moores's coaching methods but, as a Lancashire fan, it would be unfair for me to weigh in on this particular issue. 

Suffice to say that a popular expression emerged amongst the Lancashire faithful: "There's no 'I' in 'Team' but there is in 'Pietersen'...."

A pattern emerged under the recently departed Andy Flower, who was uncertain if he could carry on coaching England as long as Pietersen remained a part of the international set-up. 

His form has taken a serious hit in recent years and a reoccurring knee injury has meant that Pietersen has not been able to give as much as he previously could, leaving those in charge with a disruptive player, who was injured and failing to deliver on a consistent basis.

It took a long time for people to come to this realisation because of how good he can be. Even if he came-off once in every ten innings, people were prepared to allow him to continue, for the promise of seeing an explosive display once in a while. 

One has to feel a little sympathetic for his situation, as his return to county cricket may be hindered by Surrey not being able to pay his wages, now that he is no longer contracted to the ECB. 

However, with a large amount of money, a family in London and his international career behind him, the reality of the situation leads me to believe that he may not return to county cricket and if he does it won't be for very long, with the possibility of a career in television being a realistic target for this cricketing icon. 

The ECB's decision, whilst vague in certain aspects, was a 'unanimous decision' and it is therefore difficult to argue that his exit was a strange, or at least, sudden decision. 

Pietersen, like so many before him, has however been a scapegoat after England's horrific tour of Australia, but with four Ashes victories on his CV he can defend the case that he has given more than enough to the game.