Arise, King Kev! It is what you have wanted to hear and what you deserve:
there is not a more technically accomplished, more entertaining, more driven
and generally more complete batsman in the world today. You set your sights
on climbing the mountain all those years ago in Pietermaritzburg, and you
have finally planted your pioneer’s flag on the summit.
Unsurprisingly, Kevin Pietersen got there in style. His century against South
Africa at Lord’s was one of those utterly predictable occasions that sport -
which is full of uncertainty - sometimes throws up.
Pietersen wanted a century desperately against the country he left, with more
of a wrench than he would now care to admit to, eight years ago and
everything he has done in recent months had been building towards this
reunion - the brilliant crisis-averting hundreds in Napier and Notting-ham,
and the audacious switch-hitting in Durham, were all part of the fine-tuning
process.
The suicidal single to get off the mark only affirmed how desperate he was to
tell South Africa how well the emigration had gone. Everyone knows he has
made pots of money, but he also wanted everyone back in the Rainbow Nation
to know that he is far better than they remember. Whatever Pietersen says
about being a victim of the quota system, he was a pretty ordinary batsman
in his younger days.
There is no doubting his absolute brilliance today. There has long been talk
about his headlong rush towards fame, but far more important is his rush to
improve himself. The case for Pietersen being the best batsman in the world
can be argued over, but surely no other leading batsman today is quite so
hungry to learn.
Never let it be said that Pietersen is not up for a challenge. He prepares
with near-religious zealotry and the results are before us in all their
awesome evidence. In his first Test series against Australia, who were armed
merely with one of the best bowling attacks in history, he scored 473 runs,
including an innings of 158 at The Oval that turned the tide of history.
“What do you do when you have played the greatest innings of your life at the
age of 25?” Richie Benaud asked. It is testimony to Pietersen’s talent that
that comment has never been allowed to gain greater currency. Play some more
great innings, that’s what.
In his first series against Paki-stan, Pietersen took a hundred off Shoaib
Akhtar and Danish Kaneria. In his first series against Sri Lanka, he scored
two centuries against lineups that included Muttiah Muralitha-ran. The West
Indian attack may not be what it was but Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor and
Dwayne Bravo were taken for a double-century in Pietersen’s second outing
against them. New Zealand’s bowlers kept him quiet on the first two
meetings, but not the third.
Only India escaped a Pietersen hundred at the first series of asking. He might
very well have had one against them though - Anil Kumble and Har-bhajan
Singh included – had he not sacrificed his wicket in the search for quick
runs in Nagpur in 2006. He just about kept his annoyance in check.
In the first Test of the home series against India in 2007, however, Pietersen
played what he described as technically his finest innings to date, against
an attack that knew how to swing the ball at Lord’s, where it was renowned
for darting around. He made 134.
So, less than three years after first stepping on to the Test stage, Pietersen
can claim to have mastered allcomers with centuries against all major
opponents (he has never faced Bangladesh or Zimbabwe). There are other
players in the game today who have achieved this “slam” - Sachin Tendulkar,
Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Kumar Sangakkara and Michael
Vaughan - but none have done so with such elan.
Outstanding though the records of Ponting and Hayden are, it must count
against them that they have never had to face Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
Ponting’s game, in any case, looks fragile, brought low by spending his
holiday in the Indian Premier League and by wrist surgery. No player in the
modern age has had his Test reputation so artificially enhanced by the
helmet as Hayden.
Tendulkar, in sheer weight of runs the champion of the day, has raised his
game against Australia to a level that only Pietersen and Brian Lara have
matched, but his body is creaking and time is no longer on his side. Dravid,
like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, has one of the soundest defences the game has
seen, but does not threaten to tear attacks to shreds in the way others do.
Vaughan has a wonderful temperament but rides his luck; his defence is prone
to spring leaks, as Dale Steyn has demonstrated better than most.
South Africa’s Jacques Kallis is as reliable in all conditions as anyone,
though he has yet to take a century off Sri Lanka and his record is inflated
by cheap runs against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Sangakkara is perhaps Pietersen’s nearest rival today. Ranked No 1 Test
batsman in the ICC rankings, he has had the considerable advantage of
playing much of his cricket on Sri Lanka’s slow, true pitches, hence his
average of 61 at home and 49 away (he has never done much in Tests in
England). Ma-hela Jayawardene averages 66 at home, 38 away.
Pietersen, of course, is not without his weaknesses. He is, as Warne once
said, “a pretty average starter”. When he first goes in, he can look shaky
against pace (as Steyn showed the other day by dumping him on his backside)
and against the swinging ball, something purists put down to him standing
with his feet too far apart.
Perhaps alone of all the batsmen mentioned here, Pietersen possesses the
hallmark of the true champion in his capacity for thinking outside the box.
He never accepts convention for convention’s sake and is forever on the
lookout for solutions to problems (such as being born in the wrong country).
From his earliest meetings with Warne, Pietersen sought to counter Warne’s
prodigious powers of spin by reaching far down the crease and deploying the
slog-sweep (he hit Warne for eight sixes during the 2005 Ashes). He
reverse-swept Murali for six the second time they faced each other in a
Test.
When Pietersen says that as the ball is bowled, he thinks first about whether
he can hit it for four, then three, then two, then one, he is not joking,
merely applying to batting his brutal, unarguable logic. By the same token,
he heavily favours trying to score on the leg side.
After all, there are fewer fielders on that side of the wicket, so why not? At
Lord’s, 85 of his first 103 runs came on the leg side, thanks to South
Africa’s foolishness and Pietersen’s outrageous flicks from outside off
stump.
For the sheer thrill of the ride, not to mention the originality of the
headdress, only the mercurial Virender Sehwag can match him. As they are
both under 30, they might be reckoned to have their best years ahead of
them.
Pietersen may also inspire Ian Bell to raise his ambitions. One tall and
strong on the leg side, the other short and favouring the off, Pietersen and
Bell have often batted well as a pair. They might be the fulcrum of
England’s batting for years to come.
So far Pietersen seems not to have shown he is a team player, it will be interesting to see if he can change overnight .
Judy Georgi , Saxmundham , Suffolk
No. He is very talented, but tends to selfishness, hence his prima donna reckless self destruction in the first innings > disaster for the team. SA is less talented, but is far more tough minded. England cannot bat for 2 days, and SA know it. We have thrown away a series by KP indulgence
Tim, Witney, UK
How laughable this article now appears. Once again Mr. Wilde's cricketing judgment and opinion is called into question. I don't see how making a century off a flat track in which half a dozen other players also did could prompt the title "World's Most Complete Batsman"?!!
christian, london, uk
Pietersen is without doubt a class batsman, enjoyable to watch and difficult to bowl at, but like all stars the light flickers from game to game.
In my view the good cricketers are the grinders, people who consistantly score runs in difficult situation, people like Graham Thorpe, Michael Atherton,
Norman West, r,
pieterson has s.a. flair..something richards..barlow and pollock had..
to compare him to ponting certainly is not justified...not only is ponting a better shot maker.
but he has the guts that lifts australian cricket
above the rest in the test arena..aussies are feared..they fight to win
art fallows, haarlem, the netherlands
The present Australian team has batsmen superior to Pietersen with far better averages:- Ponting, Hayden, M Hussey, just to name three. As usual English cricket writers boom up the home town talent, but the rest of the cricketing world knows better!! "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"!!
jack randles, Perth, Australia
Funny...Some player scores some runs at home, he is declared the best batsman in the world...there are many batsmen who played warne at ease...remember VVS Laxman, if u say Pietersen plays warne better then you are kidding. Sehwag (two 300+), murders any attack in the world. sub continent is ignored
Moin, NY, USA
KP the Best ? Surely another well inflated English opinion as always!! Averages don't lie and if you look at the averages around and you will see the guy is not even close to being the best...the English media always over inflates on every English sportsman.
jp stringer, Jubail, KSA
He is excleelent at his best,, but lacks concentration and consistency. The current test series against South Africa and the next against Australia will be his opportunity to prove himself. one of cricket's gretas.
geelbosvelder, pretoria, Saotuh Africa
well i agree he is the best batsman of this present era.he has taken the full load of England team.his record proves this.he has the complete array of shots and he has the guts to play some shots which is rarely seen in cricket.lets see how many records he breaks.
saikat, kolkata,
He's certainly one of the most arrogant, I know you need to be in top-flight sport, but why does he insist on playing such silly shots to get himself out, when he can play like an utter God when he concentrates?! Very frustrating.
Maddie, Eastbourne,
Pietersen has the "potential"...his fearless, confident and attacking brand of cricket is exciting to watch when he is in full flow. But, he has a lot of leg work to do if he is to stand amongst the legends ..Tendulkar & Lara. Potential doesn't make a legend, only consistent "performance" does.
deepak, New Jersey, USA
Why are Indian and Australian cricket fans so biased? Of course Pietersen is not the greatest of all time and is no match for Bradman or indeed Tendulkar when he was in his prime. Nonetheless, Pietersen is still a fantastic and feared batsmen, whose talent should be respected by foreign fans as well
Jon W, Shanghai,
No. He doesn't concentrate and doesn't bat well unless he's the star billing. When did he ever have a decent partnership with Freddie? Why does he enjoy batting with short people so much?
John Andrew, London,
To compare KP to Ponting is laughable ! Why not compare the two during the recent Ashes series. KP also has never played a team innings. Pietersen plays for Pieterson and if England win as well it is a bonus. He doesn't feel English defeat like the rest of us.
BTW, has everyone forgotten Hussey? He has been playing tests for a similar period to KP with a much better record.
jamie, london, uk
I believe he is a true talent, but he only made 1 hundred at the beginning of a series so lets not get too carried away. Anyone remember the last Ashes tour of Australia? He may have been the best English player, but was far from dominant.
Lets just enjoy his aggression now and judge later.
Damo, Perth, Aus
Would they be saying the same if his suicidal single got him run-out for nought????
Standard British journalism.........
Steve, Durham,
I see the subcontinental contingent haven't even bothered to read the article. No-one has suggested KP is best of all time; just best in world at the moment. Which is certainly either him or one or two others.
He is the most naturally talented batsman ever, though; let's see what he does with it.
Josh, Lonson,
Ponting is the best player of the last 5 years. KP is the most dominant batsman in the world today and the most supremely talented. Over the next few years he will prove to be the best batsman in the world. Look at the way KP played Warne! Reminiscent of Lara.
Andrew McArthur, Bristol,
ponting is head and shoulders above the rest.
Keven is a one day player as is AB deVilliers, who often
do well in tests, but where Shane Warne is absent!
Gavin , jhb, rsa
A marvellous batsmen without a doubt. A little premature to judge I'd say so let's just enjoy.
Gavrilo Prinzip, Bromley, UK
This has to be some kind of joke... who holds the record for highest number of centuries in Tests and ODIs? Who holds the record for highest number of runs scored in ODIs and is just 172 away from doing the same thing in Tests? Who has the most MoM awards in ODIs?
The answer is not KP. It is Sachin Tendulkar, who is, arguably the best batsman since Bradman, and certainly the best ever ODI batsman. KP, who won't even get into India's or Australia's test team, doesn't even come close.
Chinmay, Mumbai, India
KP is a great talent, but it's far too soon to start comparing him to the likes of Lara, Tendulkar and Ponting. He has a long way to go - nearly as far as UK journalism does. Seriously - get a grip! Or carry on building him up just so you can knock him down again when he puts in a sub-par effort.
PB, London, UK
Ponting is discounted because he didn't face McGrath or Warne? Therefore, Viv Richards wasn't great because he never faced Marshall or Holding. And Marshall or Holding didn't bowl to Richards, so they weren't great either. Logically, therefore, a great team can never have great players! What tripe!
ALW, Sacramento, USA
Like others have said, Ponting's pretty good. I'd have Ponting in at number 3, but KP would go in at 4 in my current World XI. That's all the praise you can give for a still active player. Wait and see at the end of his career to start pitching in comparisons to the greats of the past.
Steve Jacks, London,
If you are talking ODIs, Jayasuriya is the best batsman ever.
Fastest fifty, Second highest score in ODIs, most runs in an over and many more records.
Raul, Montreal, Canada
He is a very good batsman-perhaps the most dominating batter since King VIv but is he as good as Ponting,Tendulkar,Lara or Stevie? I doubt very much.
Come on India/BCCI-offer him a good package and he will play for India after 4 years in IPL! Broadminded enough not to be limited by geo boundaries!
Alex, Wolverhampton,
As a parochial englishman, I would agree with the Aussie supporting the Aussie. Ponting still sets the bar in world cricket The sub-continent's batsmen are playing a different game much of the time and it does inflate their averages. Even Tendulkar looked average in England until recently.
Andrew, London,
Is this not the guy who left SA because he was against an effort to bring non-whites into the top class cricketing fold. What a hypocrite, given that he certainly enjoyed the fruits of Apartheid, which made him the cricketer he is today. He certainly did not complain then, did he? The privilrged!
Varsi Padayachee, Poolesville, MD, USA
It's so hard for an outsider to root for the English team because their media is forever blowing things out of proportion. One major victory= best team in the world!, one significant century= most complete batsman in the world! KP is a talent, no doubt, but has not done enough to deserve the label.
Mike, London,
Best test batsman today is Ponting- a little out of form, but still miles ahead of Peterson. Sangakkara has also improved immensely since shedding the gloves. It's true that he hasn't done much in England, but then again, SL were only granted 4 tests over 2 tours, and those before he hit his stride.
Ron, London,
I feel more uneasy when Pieterson comes out to bat against
Australia than any other batsman as he scores very quickly. If I had to have someone make a century to save my life I would pick Mike Hussey.
andrew, newcastle, australia
KP is very fine batsman and i could watch him play all day but to consider a complete player ... naah. Sachin, Lara and Viv Richards played in their own league, they said they don't come in Bradman's league. So KP has to prove to be in first pointing and dravid's league in next 15 yrs consistantly.
Ankit Upadhyay, Manchester, UK
this is funny - KP has nowhere near the class of /tendulkar/lara/dravid etc. KP doesnt carry the pressure of these guys, to say hes the most complete batsman around is a little silly. He has a long way to go, hes definately englands best batsman but cannot be compared to tendulkar or lara
Yateen, Amersham, UK
You can say Ponting is the best or sachin but you have to take in consideration which team they played for and where. Lara Is best without a doubt, the guy played in a average side & faced Aussies, wasim & waqar and he was above shoulder then any other batsmen.
NMC, Sheffield,
Lara and Tendulkar played the majority of there innings when cricket wasnt so much a batsmans game, KP has hardly had to play the likes of Akram, Younis, and the Aussies at there strongest on bowling condusive pitches...
KP will be a great, but not in the Don's, Lara or Tendulkar league yet!
Shram, London, England
You suggest that KP is the most complete batsman in cricket. IMO KP is a stronger version of Dean Jones. Confidence player, outragously good when on song. He is getting much better with experience.
I think you'd probably be blind or myopic to to put KP above Ponting & Tendulkar.
Give KP time.
Shanil Nanayakkara, London, United Kingdom
Too myopic view. Once they said Thorpe is in the same league as Bradman, Tendulkar and lara. Put peterson in Thorpe's league. Please dont belittle the Bradman, Tendulkar and lara league. That is special. Then comes the league of Ponting, Dravid Kallis, Gavasker, Richards and the likes. KV not near.
Thomas Keller, Lausanne, Switzerland
You'll never get the one-eyed Indian public to consider anyone bar their own.
I'd say the key here, is that all the alternatives proposed by the readers are at the end of their careers.
When KP has reached that stage of his career he will be rubbing shoulders with this lot
Ali, London,
Kallis, ponting, dravid, tendulkar, sehwag, jayawardena, sangakarra, younis khan and mohammed yousuf - lets get real here- no doubt KP is an exceptional cricketer but to say he is better than all the above- i dont think so. kallis with the ball and Pontings captaincy in addition - Enough said
Ismail M, Cape Town , South AFrica
Hayden has been massively overlooked. The batsman I would least like my team to be up against would definitel be Hayden, so much more consistent than all the others
Richard, Hampshire,
sachin - none to beat him
nikhil, hyderabad, india
i think virender sehwag may disagree with this author's comments ..
vish, cardiff, uk
This is the most stupid thing i have ever read.
KP Averages about 38-40 runs away, whilst Sachin averages 55 and dravid averages about 60.
Its all very well scoring runs at home, but scoring away is what counts the most.
KP is ranked number 10 in test and 13 in ODI, lol.
Sachin is best
asd, coventry, UK
I think at his age he has the potential to be one of the all time greats, maybe not the best at the moment, but certainly up there. Couple more years, more 100's, a second ashes victory, and Kev may well be king. I reckon he would be disappointed not to get 25 or more 100's & 10'000 runs.
Gavin, London, UK
"Is Kevin the best?"
Best what?
batsman?! ...
God help us all.
Sachin Tendulkar is still the better batsman... fragile body,creaking limbs and all.
Peter, Khar,
Rahul Dravid is the best . Nobdoy can surpass him. Kevin is far far and far away from him. Dravid is the best crickerter in the world
Thilini Jayaweera, colombo, Srilanka
I feel Dravid is and will always remain the best batsmen. No body in world cricket included Lara has constructed nos. of match winning innings as Dravid has. Kev has still to conquer sub-continent. He played Murali on the non-responsive tracks of England. Kev can be the best, but as of now, a big NO
Shalabh Saxena, Delhi, India
Sorry - Kev is great, but Ponting is the greatest. It is hard to admit it being such a Parochial Pommy, but Ponting has contributed to more 'match winning' innings than just about anyone since Bradman. KP still has time on his side and if he manages his ego and practises hard, he can become No. 1.
Queensland Tyke, Brisbane, Austrlia