Sunday, January 11, 2009

TWIST TO THE TALE : PIETERSEN WANTS TO LEAD ENGLAND

Kevin Pietersen is already thinking about captaining England again, despite being forced to quit this week over his power struggle with coach Peter Moores. "I feel I've got unfinished business as captain of England - I definitely feel that," Pietersen told the News of the World newspaper on Sunday. "But right now, I feel it is right for me to go back and just play - to do something that I totally, totally love, which is scoring runs and more runs for England." Pietersen was unhappy with Moores' coaching and selection decisions, but a split in the dressing room over their differences forced the pair out on Wednesday, with the England and Wales Cricket Board firing the coach. Andrew Strauss was handed the captaincy and the job of healing the rifts, which Pietersen has vowed to help by hitting the runs that deliver victories in the upcoming tour of the West Indies and the summer's Ashes series against Australia. "I will get up every day and I'll smile and do whatever I can to win games of cricket for England and keep putting the smiles on the public's faces," Pietersen said. "I know how much people love watching me bat and that's the kind of stuff that turns me on." 

The brash South-African born batsman dismissed suggestions by some cricket observers that an arrogant character trait led to his demise. Pietersen was appointed captain only last August after Michael Vaughan resigned following a home series loss to South Africa. Pietersen said that teammate Andrew Flintoff didn't want him to resign - denying claims that he has a strained relationship with the Lancashire allrounder. "My relationship with Freddie was great and towards the end I sat down with him and I said 'Mate, this is what is going on,'" Pietersen said. "I explained about the meetings I had had with the management over the situation with the coach. "We had a good chat and Freddie's parting words were, 'You cannot leave as England captain.'"

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