Shane Warne believes the England and Wales Cricket Board have displayed a “childish” attitude in dealing with the now 'former' England batting star, Kevin Pietersen.
The Australian spin legend feels Pietersen should have been given a bigger role in the team management rather than just ditching him. The ECB ended Pietersen’s international career last week and cited a lack of “trust” as a reason for severing ties with their leading run-getter.
“I think it was immature and a bit childish actually, the way it was all handled and it is disappointing for not just England fans but all cricket- lovers around the world,” Warne told Sport360° during a visit to Abu Dhabi as part of his work as an Etihad ambassador.
“To not have Kevin Pietersen playing on the international stage is a real disappointment and it could’ve been handled a lot better."
Warne’s friendship with Pietersen is well documented despite the pair being one-time Ashes adversaries and the former leg-spinning great believes England should have persisted with the South African-born batsman as the rebuilding process begins following their 5-0 Ashes battering.
“Look, it’s always hard for outsiders looking in [to know what goes on in the dressing room], but knowing Kevin Pietersen the way I do, I would have made him vice-captain. I would have made him more a part of the team, a more important part of the decision-making process as he has a great cricket brain so why not use it?”
Warne, renowned for his tactical acumen has been roped in by Australia coach Darren Lehmann to assist the national team ahead of the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month.
The 44-year-old will also be helping out Michael Clarke and co during the ongoing series in South Africa.
Explaining his role, Warne said: “I’m working with Michael Clarke and the Australian team leading up to and during the third Test match at Cape Town as well as working with George Bailey and the spinners in the build up to the World Cup in Bangladesh. Obviously, there will be spinning conditions [in Bangladesh] and tactics will be very important, not just for spin bowlers but in general.
“So I will be working with George Bailey [on that front] and advising the spinners on how to bowl to the players from all around the world and how to bowl in those conditions and what sort of tactics to use.”
Warne may not have played any Twenty20 Internationals but he did enjoy success in the shortest format of professional cricket. Following his retirement from international cricket, Warne turned out for IPL team Rajasthan Royals and led them to the title in the opening edition of the T20 tournament in 2008.
It was not the wickets that he took (57 from 55 matches) during his four-year stint but his role of mentoring players in the team that stood out with current stars Shane Watson, Graeme Smith and Ravindra Jadeja benefitting the most.
Warne is, however, not keen on a full-time coaching role, saying his hands are already full with a host of work commitments.
“I think about being a head coach of a cricketing team and it’s a 12-month a year gig and there’s a lot of time and preparation that goes into it.
“At the moment I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. I have family commitments and my children are my number one priority, then my work, playing poker, my foundation… I have some business commitments as well so when you throw that all in the mix with my cricket commentary and some consultancy work with Cricket Australia, you know it’s a pretty full book, to use a poker expression.”
Focussing on the current Australian team, Warne is confident about the prospects of Clarke’s team South Africa. Speaking on the second day of the Test at Centurion and Australia’s dominance in securing a resounding 281-run win over the number one Test team i nthe world reinforced that opinion.
“I think Australia can beat South Africa,” he said. “When you look at their bowlers, I think Australia have the best bowling attack and more variation than anyone in the world.
"(Morne) Morkel, (Dale) Steyn, (Vernon) Philander is a fantastic attack but then (Peter) Siddle, (Ryan) Harris, (Mitchell) Johnson and then Nathan Lyon … I think Lyon adds that extra bit of variation that puts them over the edge as the best bowling attack in the world.”
