I’ve got to be honest and say that despite all the ECB’s online press releases and briefings that all is great in the England camp, I’m not convinced that all these revelations from Graeme Swann’s book is not already causing, or won’t eventually cause, friction among the squad.
The ECB can dress it up all they like with their lines that Swann and Pietersen were seen laughing and joking on the day that it came out that Swann basically thought KP was a crap captain.
And he didn’t just call him a crap captain, Swann may as well have said he has no respect for Pietersen in stating that he wouldn’t cross a certain line with Strauss, but would with others.
It may have caused tension already, or it may not have, but one thing for certain is that no matter how thick skinned KP has become these days, he must be a bit annoyed (to say the least) at being publicly humiliated in this way by one of his (so called) team mates.
Surely there will come a time when relations will become strained between the two for any number of reasons, and I wouldn’t mind betting that it may be then that the true repercussions of these revelations will be felt.
There is a time and a place for autobiography’s and the time for slagging off a team mate certainly isn’t while you are still playing in the same side as him.
This team is in the middle of an exceptional run, Swann has risked the unity and togetherness of the squad in pursuit of what can only be financial gains, there was no need for it at this stage of proceedings.
If this causes unrest in the squad and leads to a rift (and I can only assume it eventually will), we could be self destructing and throwing away our hard earned position as the top test side in world cricket, the rest of the world must be secretly laughing at us at the moment.
When this all eventually does hit the fan, I hope that the English management hold the guilty party accountable for what he has unnecessarily done.
Anonymous
But why do you suppose he has done this while they are still playing? He can’t need money that badly, surely?
Cricket Betting Blog
I really don’t know. Maybe it’s because Swann has a large ego, and as a result of this he likes to keep himself in the headlines.
Or maybe he is being greedy and knows that at the moment he is probably as popular as he is ever likely to be, so he is cashing in at (what he believe’s is) the right time.
I was pleased to hear Andy Flower speak out against releasing books while still playing, could you imagine the situation if more players started doing it?