Why England should bring back Kevin Pietersen for the World T20

England should pick Kevin Pietersen for the T20 World Cup

The Kevin Pietersen and ECB saga has been a point of discussion in the cricketing world for the last few years. A world-class player with a volatile temperament and a cricket board that is not willing to face his tantrums and give him a longer rope when he wasn’t at his best, has made the relationship between the two quite tense.

Pietersen has been one of England's best batsman across all formats and an ending like this to his international career looks sad. If England provide Pietersen a last hurrah by picking him for the T20 World Cup, which he quite rightly deserves on his current form, then perhaps the climax might not be so sad after all.

So here are four reasons why England should pick Kevin Pietersen for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India.

Horses for courses seems legit in T20s

To be honest, the reasoning of ECB that younger generation should be given chances ahead of Pietersen seems valid in the tests and even ODIs because the next World Cup is four years away and a long term investment seems legit. But the same reasoning seems a little flawed in tT20s because the next T20 World Cup is in 2016 and the players in form should be given a go in the side.

Horses for courses looks a good strategy in the T20s because T20 World Cup is held in every 2 years and even if you have to play an ageing player to win the World Cup, the deal seems profitable. If England can win their second T20 World Cup with contributions from Pietersen’s bat, they would not regret their decision.

Kevin Pietersen is a quality T20 player

Though England now have many flamboyant batsmen, Pietersen was arguably one of the finest English batsmen in the last decade. Pietersen was capable of winning a game on his own and his belligerent batting will be an asset in the English T20 side.

Also Pietersen has recently been in electrifying form in the shortest format as he has scored heaps of runs in the Ram Slam tournament in South Africa this year. Although he played only five matches, he hit two fifties and two centuries in those games and is still the tournament’s top run-getter despite playing fewer matches than everyone else.

Not only that, but his record for England in T20s was arguably one of the best as well. He was only recently overtaken by Eoin Morgan as the country’s leading run-scorer in the format, but he still has the best average and strike rate of any English batsmen who has played at least a dozen T20 matches. So it will be harsh to still ignore Pietersen's name from the T20 side.

Experience of IPL

The 2016 T20 World Cup will be played in India and Pietersen has been plying his trade in the IPL for last few years. IPL has not only helped him play better in Indian conditions, but it has also provided him with the opportunities to play against world-class T20 bowlers like Lasith Malinga and Sunil Narine. When England face those bowlers in crunch situations in the World Cup, Pietersen's prior experience against them can come in handy.

Despite their recent resurgence in ODIs, England has in the past, looked undercooked in T20s. Pietersen’s vast experience can have a huge impact on England’s performance in the World Cup. Not to forget he has been a part of England’s only World Cup winning side, in the same format.

Zeal to play for England

Pietersen has time and again expressed his desire to play for England again. He recently said that he wants to play for England in the T20 World Cup. A class player onlybecomes a liability for the team if he loses the desire to play for the nation and Pietersen certainly has not lost that.

The form which Pietersen is in, combined with his desire to again prove himself and represent the nation forms a tempting combination for England. ECB should look upto Pietersen to play in their T20 side because of his capabilities as well as his desire to make a comeback.

Though Andrew Strauss has mooted that Pietersen might never play for England again but he should reconsider his decision atleast in the shortest format. The form in which KP is in, it would be really stubborn of England to not select him in the T20 side.

While the ECB’s ego will certainly take a hit if they choose KP, it is but a small price to pay, if he ends up winning them their second World Cup in the shortest format of the game.