During his playing days, Kevin Peitersen was a captivating cricketer who stamped his authority with his supreme skill set. However, his unceremonious exit from the England side left a lot to desire. Sir Andrew Strauss, Director of ECB, went on record to admit that he could have handled the entire saga in a far better manner.
Pietersen was guilty of sending controversial texts to South African players during the 2012 Test series. He allegedly insulted Strauss and other senior members of the side. The temperamental cricketer was dropped from the side and was later recalled into the national fold. But a drubbing in the 2013-14 Ashes series brought curtains down on his extraordinary career.
There was an opportunity to spend more time with Kevin Pietersen: Andrew Strauss
“There came a time when some of the people he was close within the team retired or got dropped. There was an opportunity there, not necessarily to bring him in, but spend a lot more time with him and make sure his views were valued and considered.” Stauss told Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“I think instead I just let KP be KP. In retrospect that was a mistake and might have sowed the seeds for what was to come down the track.” he added.
It was right to call out Kevin Pietersen: Andrew Strauss
Pietersen, born in South Africa, played 104 Tests matches for the Three Lions. He also turned out in 136 ODIs and 37 T2OIs, scoring over 13,000 runs across the three formats. The cricketer’s egoistic approach and larger than life persona in the cricketing circuit didn’t help him a great deal.
Strauss said he doesn’t regret anything and added that it was right to call out Pietersen over some of the sensitive matters. “I don’t look back and think ‘we were wrong to call KP out over some of the things he did’. I think we had to do that.” he said.