Kevin Pietersen, after winning his first Test as England captain, could be in line for some tough times during the ODIs against South Africa, writes Vic Marks in the Observer.
The honeymoon may not be over, but the first moments of dizzying ecstasy have passed. Kevin Pietersen enjoyed a wonderful consummation of his appointment as England captain at the Oval. Everything clicked perfectly. It is unlikely to be quite so straightforward over the next fortnight when England take on South Africa in a solitary Twenty20 match (Just the one? There must be some commercial men out there grinding their teeth) and five 50-over games.
The bald facts are not encouraging for Pietersen and his team. South Africa, if they win the ODI series emphatically, can go top of the ICC's table. England, defeated by New Zealand earlier in the summer languish in sixth position. In our rush to judge Pietersen, the captain, we should moderate our expectations in the next week or two. But moderation and Pietersen rarely go hand in hand.
Stephen Brenkley, in the Independent on Sunday, is not too optimistic about England's chances in the one-dayers, saying that they "still seem uncertain of what their approach should be: whether to develop a system and ensure the players can make it work, or to pick the players and hope a method emerges. There is no sign that they are any nearer to resolving that."
"Nothing emphasises England's [one-day] travails more sharply than the ongoing problem at the top of the batting order," says Steve James. Click here to read his article in the Sunday Telegraph.
According to his colleague, Scyld Berry, England can learn from Middlesex's Twenty20 Cup success ahead of their match against the Stanford Super Stars on November 1.
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