KP: Cook's negative attitude is 'selfish'

Cricket365
September 6, 2014

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen was enraged by captain Alastair Cook's supposed negative attitude about the World Cup, saying the skipper had already given up on winning the tournament that's six months away.

Cook was speaking after the one-day series defeat to India, though England did win the final match, and Cook seemed reluctant to speak confidently about his side's chances. Pietersen raged on Twitter at the time, and reiterated his point in The Telegraph.

He wrote on Saturday: "I think it is selfish that the captain is not talking positively about winning the World Cup.

"In Alastair Cook's own words it is 'far fetched' to believe we can win the tournament. I just do not buy that. It is also nonsense to think we do not have time to make changes that could transform England's chances.

"Cook has had three and a half years as captain of the one-day side. I had discussions with the past coach about the way we played one-day cricket and the personnel picked to play the 50-over format, but they had their set routines and structure. Now we are watching those crumble."

Pietersen continued: "The scheduling of the Ashes was changed to give us a chance of winning the World Cup, because in previous years we would begin that tournament on the back of a tour to Australia.

"Now we hear the England captain more or less writing off our chances and Sky commentators saying it is too late to change our strategy. They are giving up before we have even started.

"What is going to happen for the next six months? Are the guys on a jolly? We may as well send another country that thinks it can do well at the World Cup."

Pietersen then urged the ECB to make use of their former players as consultants, like most other sides do, adding: "We have to look at other countries and how they approach one-day cricket. They have recently retired former players helping the team.

"We have guys like Paul Collingwood, Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff who were either great thinkers about the game, or excellent one-day cricketers, but how many times have they been asked to help? None.

"Collingwood had a brief go in February in the West Indies when he helped Ashley Giles and England won the series, but he has not been involved since. Darren Gough was one of the great death bowlers. Has he ever been asked to help our bowlers to learn how to bowl at the end? No."