Ashes 2015: Kevin Pietersen's absence is haunting England's batting line-up

Kevin Pietersen is one of the most prolific English batsmen to have ever played. He played his final Test Down Under in 2013-14, after which he was excluded from the side on disciplinary ground. Since then, he has found himself in a state of controversy which ultimately resulted in his exclusion from the side. Since his ouster, England has played four Test series, out of which they managed to win one. Their top-order on most of the occasions didn’t get going and failed to gel together. 

Pietersen is arguably the finest batsman to have featured for England in this aeon. He has got all the shots from the textbook and is one of the best improvisers in the game. Apart from the fluent drives and cuts, he also masters the switch-hit and the flamingo shot. He can change gears at will and is a proven match-winner. He belongs to the tribe of those rare cricketers who are equally effective across all formats of the game. In Test cricket, Pietersen has amassed 8,181 runs, and has 23 centuries to his name.

England’s top-order have had a terrible run in the ongoing Ashes so far. Their batting-order’s collapse in the second innings at the Lord’s Test is a signal for the English management to revaluate some of their decisions for instance the batting-order. Since November 2013, England’s top three batsmen on an average have contributed just over 33 runs. Only Zimbabwe have managed to do worse than them in the said span.

Ahead of the Ashes, the kind of form that Pietersen was in; it’s suicidal move to keep him out. Well, Andrew Strauss, England’s new cricket director, may have his reasons for that but whatever they may be, they aren’t more important than England reclaiming the Urn. While featuring for Surrey, Pietersen slammed an unbeaten 326 against Leicestershire but it seemed that it wasn’t enough for the genius to stage a comeback. England are definitely missing out on his productive years and that’s a shame.

Since his exclusion from the national side, Pietersen has played four First-Class matches, in which he scored a total of 469 runs at an average of 156.33, a stat which can’t be overlooked. He has featured in four Ashes winning sides, has been instrumental in making England the No.1 side in Test cricket and therefore knows quite a bit about winning.

One can imagine the solidity Pietersen would have provided to the same English batting line-up. The form of Ian Bell and Gary Ballance has been a matter of concern, and with the batting barring Joe Root, looking so brittle, England are missing out the KP-factor.

It seemed that genie has heard the Aussie wish. Ask any Australian player on what they would have wished for ahead of the Ashes and the unanimous answer would have been Pietersen’s exclusion. Greats like Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle and Kumar Sangakkara to name a few, have criticised Pietersen’s axing from the national side.

Looking at the current England’s position, Pietersen also tweeted:

Deep in thought right now...ridiculous that I'm lying on a beach when I should be in UK prepping for the 3rd Test! So silly really! Sad! ????

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) July 20, 2015

As reported in Daily Mail, Shane Warne has said, “Read that my old mate Strauss has said KP won’t play for Eng, but offered him an advisory role to help Eng? What the? Serious? #shambles.

If Strauss wanted instant public acceptance & the whole country to support Eng again, he should have said, ‘I want KP back in the team’ !!!”

Australia recorded their third highest victory over England in context of runs and the home side have an uphill task to recover from the humiliation and stage a return. Can England stage a strong return at Edgbaston? Chances look bleak. For sure, It will be a true test of character and diligence for the mentally battered English players.