Former South African captain Graeme Smith has urged the England management to alter its mindset and be open to the idea of recalling Kevin Pietersen to the national fold as he is too valuable a player to be sidelined.
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Speaking to Sport360° at the 15th Shyam Bhatia Awards in Dubai on Saturday, the former Proteas opener said that Pietersen still has a lot to offer English cricket, provided he is part of a set-up that appreciates his talent and personality.
“I do think Kevin Pietersen has been their (England’s) most dynamic batsman for a very long time. I think the challenges in English cricket are bigger than Kevin.
“If Kevin can perform (for Surrey) and if he’s doing well, then the England selectors have to reconsider him for the national team,” Smith said.
Kevin Pietersen on chat with Colin Graves: “To be honest, he just said he wants his best players playing for England and it’s a clean slate”
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) April 12, 2015
“I think the challenge that he will probably face is the mindset of the current coaches. If they have a modern outlook on the way they think and talk about in the game of cricket, I think someone like KP will be of real value to them.
“But if they still have that old school, head boy approach, then it’s going to be very challenging for him.”
Smith believes a game-changer like Pietersen is what the England team needs right now, given they have lacked that spark in all formats of the game.
“I just think that England look at the game very conservatively. He’s a dynamic batsman and is one of those batsmen that you (as an opposition) want in the changing room and not bat in the middle as he has ability to change the game single-handedly.
“If you take players like him out of the environment, I’m sure there will be a lot more bowlers who will be happier to bowl.”
The South African also believes a change in mindset at the top will help England take their game to the next level.
“Their new ECB CEO Tom Harrison is a very good man. I’ve met him before. I think they certainly need to change their mindset on how they think about the game of cricket.
“And when they do that, they will have people in positions of decision-making. Then, I think you will see a big shift on how they play the overall game.”
Pietersen made 170 for Surrey on his comeback against an Oxford students’ outfit. He, however, failed with the bat in yesterday’s Division Two county clash with Glamorgan, scoring just 19.
However, Smith believes KP has it in him to deliver at the big stage as ‘his heart is in the right place’.
“I always believe if your heart is in the right place, then you can do the right thing. A lot of different personalities will play the game and that is what’s unique about the game of cricket. There’s people with different talents and personalities who come into an environment and you let them perform in a way they want to play.
“I think the whole point of leadership is to get hold of all the players with different personalities together and get them to perform the best they can. I certainly think Kevin’s heart is in the right place and he wants to do well for England and wants to play and if that’s the case, then I don’t see why he can’t be there.
“From my experience of playing for South Africa, whether it was a difficult guy or not, as long as his heart is in the right place and wants to perform for South Africa, then you go out and perform well.”
