Sans KP, can England deliver?

The announcement of the English squad for the tour of India brought a bagful of questions and a dash of controversy with it. Many eyebrows were raised on the unveiling of the 16 member squad who will be touring India. For some, it was a moment of utter anguish while for some others, the news provided a lovely fillip before the winter blues set in, but only one for whom it added to, rather than reduced, the uncertainty that surrounds his career.

The hope was that the delay in revealing the squad for the India tour would have provided the extra time needed to incorporate England’s best batsman. It was a hope that was dashed for those who like to see England playing their best XI, but for those who think that playing for England requires a little more than lip-service commitment, the absence of Kevin Pietersen will be celebrated.

Over the weekend, The English Cricket Board dragged Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook from previously agreed commentating duties with the host broadcaster of the Clydes Dale Bank 40 final at Lord’s, as it did for Matt Prior and James Anderson from the studio work during the World Twenty20. Was this signal a last-minute rapprochement, a hint that the ECB was trying to ensure that its contracted players abide by the same rules as those that it would like to impose on Pietersen?

But then news that Pietersen’s lucrative deal with ESPN and STAR Sports to broadcast during and promote the World Twenty20 was going ahead, added to the revelation that his lawyers have instructed proceedings against two national newspapers, which if they go to court will surely involve subpoenas for other England players, suggested that the two sides were no nearer agreement. And so it proved with the confirmation that Pietersen will not travel to India with the England squad.

KP issued a statement reiterating his disappointment and emphasising his continued availability, but there was no clear roadmap ahead. There are two arguments to what the future holds. There are those who insist that holds and there are those who say time will heal whatever wounds have been opened in the past two months. My view is that, the longer this stand-off goes on, and the more international cricket Pietersen misses, the more unlikely his return.

Will he make himself available for New Zealand’s tour to England, thus reducing his Indian Premier League involvement?

If not, a whole winter away allows a young batsman to make the place his own, the place which Pietersen owned. In any case, a little Twenty20 cricket here and a little Twenty20 cricket there will not allow him to get back into the kind of form required to play in an Ashes series. For now, opportunity abounds for the beneficiaries of Pietersen’s absence, although the players named suggest that the England selectors have been blown off course of late.

Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow travel with the main squad. Morgan’s central contract flagged up his potential involvement in India, and the contention here is that he remains a terrific prospect in all forms of the game, especially now that he has sorted out his propensity to bob around at the crease like an apple in choppy water. In that sense, his selection is to be applauded, but in his return he must feel a little like a medieval courtier granted favour by little more than royal patronage. Certainly there have been too few first-class runs from his blade since he was left out of England’s Test team at the start of the summer. It is time he began to score a few.

The same cannot be said of Nick Compton, who has barged to the front of the queue by the most old-fashioned of routes, almost quaint now in its rarity that of scoring heavily in first-class cricket. Andrew Strauss’s retirement has left a leadership vacuum, but just as important is the solidity at the top of the order. As well as Compton, the selectors have promoted Joe Root. While Bairstow and Morgan are very much modern players, fashioned in the whirligig that is Twenty20, Root is a more traditional, left-elbow-high, nose-to-the-grindstone type of opener.

So far, so reasonable. Logic continues with the selection of Monty Panesar as England’s second spinner, whatever his failings with the bat and in the field. More than 50 wickets in the first division of the championship compares very favourably with any other spinner in the country and it was only last winter that Panesar shone in the UAE, prompting many to wonder whether he might usurp again Graeme Swann as England’s principal spinner. He will get a chance to restake his claim.

The seam bowling remains in the experienced hands of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and Graham Onions. Five seam bowlers and three spinners Samit Patel occupying the third spinning slot will allow Alastair Cook, the new captain, plenty of options, made so by Bairstow’s all-round capabilities with bat and wicketkeeping gloves.

THE 16 MEMBER SQUAD :

Alastair Cook (captain)James AndersonJonny BairstowIan BellTim BresnanStuart BroadNick ComptonSteven FinnGraham OnionsEoin MorganMonty PanesarSamit PatelMatt PriorJoe RootGraeme SwannJonathan Trott