On Her Majesty's Disservice: England's most controversial cricketers

Jardine was not the greatest technician with the bat, but he had mastered his unique approach and boasts of a healthy average in First-class and international cricket. On a pitch that was impossible to play on, deteriorating like a crumbling cookie, Sir jack Hobbs had commented that only Douglas Jardine could survive on it. The anecdote is a tribute to the defensive prowess of his batting. Many also tend to forget that England had conquered much of that 1932-33 Ashes series without employing the ‘bodyline’, and in doing so, we do injustice to a great, but controversial, leader.

Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen’s minor antics pale in front of the theatricality of some other bad boys of the game, but he has been controversy’s favorite child in the modern era. He does not reach the heights of the genre like Shane Warne did with his multiple talents that were exhibited in diverse domains, but he makes a case for his own limited talents. Pietersen was critical of the South African set-up, going to the extent of calling Graeme Smith a ‘muppet’, which he abandoned to cut a career for himself in England; but his early experiences with Nottinghamshire weren’t particularly pleasant. The maverick batsman had a dressing room spat with his captain Jason Gallian, who apparently threw his kit bag out of the dressing room.

Pietersen eventually moved his wares to international cricket and made an immediate impact with his aggressive stroke-play. He played some breathtaking knocks against Australia and South Africa taking on the greatest bowlers of the planet. The likes of Shane Warne and Dale Steyn enjoyed the challenge that he threw at them and his counter-attacking, fearless attitude to the game was a refreshing change from the placid, abject English side of the 90′s. Pietersen continued to enthrall the audiences with his innovative ‘switch-hit’, which was his way of flirting with the cricket laws and the debate continues.

Pietersen could have channelized his frantic energy in a leadership role, but he fell out with coach Peter Moores and publically expressed his many resentments through Twitter, including a jibe at ex-England cricketer and commentator Nick Knight. This love for communication through new media would bring him further embarrassment; during August 2012, Kevin Pietersen was pulled up for texting South African players during their tour of England, which eventually lead to his exile from English cricket for a while. Pietersen had apparently mocked at his captain Andrew Strauss in those messages calling him a ‘doos’ – which can be very politely translated as an idiot. KP was not the one to take the exile quietly and turned up as a cricket pundit meanwhile, also showcasing his dancing skills. He was re-integrated into the team after a process of reconciliation.

The final nail in the coffin was of course the underwhelming performances Down Under during the 2013 Ashes. Rumours in the media about his conflicted relationship with Andy Flower added fuel to the fire as he was made the scapegoat of a catastrophic series.