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| Last Time |
I asked which name you were most annoyed I left off my five bowlers.
| 41% | Dale Steyn |
| 35% | Shane Warne |
| 24% | Glenn McGrath |
| 0% | Muttiah Muralitharan |
Steyn wins it. Hold that thought for next time. And not one vote for Murali, who took 800 Test wickets. Tough crowd.
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I promised you my Ultimate XI this time. It is ready, and it is next. This could not wait.
I spent the Sri Lanka series inside the England dressing room, working with the white-ball team.
Here is what it was like, as I see it.
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Being in the England dressing room was a wonderful experience.
I got to see firsthand how much these guys actually care about playing for England.
The perception of the team is not always the reality. The reality I saw was a bunch of guys desperate to do their best, and desperate to work together to achieve things they feel are really possible.
They feel, and we feel, that we can be competitive at next year's World Cup.
We feel there is growth in the 50-over format for us as a team.
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We played virtually the perfect game in the last one-day international against Sri Lanka.
Batters need to score hundreds. Bowlers need to bowl tight lines and tight lengths. And you have to field like champions.
There is incredible talent inside that dressing room. All the players impressed me. The bowlers impressed me.
Where I come in I think there is a huge opportunity to bring in more specific training, and to help these guys bring out the best in themselves by making sure no stone is left unturned in the drive to be the best they can possibly be. |
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What matters most for England before the World Cup?
Vote below. Results at the top of the next issue.
What matters most for England before the World Cup?
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Tom Banton impressed me in particular.
I had spent quite a bit of time with him, discussing options and discussing getting hundreds. All of our batters have to understand it cannot just be Brook or Root. The others have to stand up and be counted.
The responsibility they showed in that last one-dayer, where Banton got a hundred and delivered for England, was a very, very good sign.
Jordan Cox deserves a mention as well. Jos Buttler goes down, big boots to fill, and he comes in and plays the perfect match.
It cannot be one or two players who win us games. It has to be a whole collective.
What we are working on Strength and depth is something we need to create as a team, and it is something we are really working on. |
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The tri-series in Pakistan is more opportunities. For the batters to score big hundreds. For the team to get tighter. For the team to work harder.
We are going to be as hard-working a team as any in the world.
The team understands there have been frustrations over the last few months with preparation and the delivery of performances. They are very aware of it.
My role is to challenge the players so that we are as close to perfect as we can be in our preparation. Then, when it comes to game time, we can never blame poor preparation for a result.
Winning is winning and losing is losing. Someone has to win and someone has to lose. That is the nature of sport.
But the position I want to get this team into, underneath Baz McCullum, is one where any England fan who spends money going to watch them knows we have pulled every single lever to make each individual the best version of himself.
What I ask You can never ask more of a sportsman than to be the best version of himself. Be the hardest-working. Work the right way. Be specific in training. That is the challenge with this team. That is what Pakistan will be like, and that is what Australia will be like. |
One goal: being competitive at next year's 50-over World Cup. Scoring more hundreds, being a sharp fielding team, and bowling incredible spells.
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Coming next My Ultimate XI, only players I played with or against. I promised it and it is done. And yes, how Test cricket survives is still coming. |
If you have not voted on what matters most, scroll back up.
See you in a fortnight.
Kevin Pietersen