Kevin Pietersen England: media and fans to turn KP axing into Ashes sideshow

THERE is more chance of low-flying pigs over Lord’s than England fans and media moving on quickly from the Kevin Pietersen saga which will now become an Ashes sideshow.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Kevin Pietersen of Surrey in action during the LV County Championship match between Surrey and Essex at The Kia Oval on April 27, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

KEVIN Pietersen may be gone but his shadow will continue to haunt England during the Ashes.

For every stumble and fumble from the Poms — and there will be plenty — the “Bring Back KP’’ chant will echo around English cricket grounds.

And it is the best bet of the year that Pietersen, now he has been told he is yesterday’s man, will be fanning the flames to his 2.5 million twitter followers.

England is desperately hoping they can move on after new ECB supremo Andrew Strauss told Pietersen he did not fit into the new regime and could kiss goodbye his dreams of playing for the Poms.

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But there is more chance of low-flying pigs over Lord’s than England fans and media moving on quickly from the Pietersen saga which will now become an Ashes sideshow.

The timing of the cold shoulder for Pietersen could barely have been worse and will spark another bloody public-relations battle.

It came only hours after Pietersen scored a career-best 326 not out for Surrey. Every run must have been a bead of sweat on the forehead of former captain Strauss.

England greats went into immediate meltdown when news filtered through that Strauss had given Pietersen his marching orders.

Former captain Andy Flintoff tweeted: “Wow! On one hand I respect Strauss for making a ballsy decision on KP however got to think he’s made a very bad one.’’

Another ex-England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: “Just pick your best available players and let’s stop complicating sport.’’

Pietersen pulls one to the boundary on his way to a triple century for Surrey.

The bottom line is Pietersen has been hit by the karma bus, with the decision highlighting the depth of ill-feeling towards him by the England Cricket hierarchy.

The maverick batsman has launched a gigantic PR war in recent times but England hasn’t forgotten how he tipped a bucket on just about everyone when he was sacked after the 2013-14 Ashes.

It is also a case of what comes around goes around — Pietersen once called his former teammate Strauss an offensive term in text messages sent to rival South African players.

The South African-born Pietersen even suggested to his opponents to bowl round the wicket to the struggling Strauss.

The bottom line is that England decided it could not tolerate Pietersen’s selfish and divisive nature and decided to push onto the Ashes and beyond without him.

At age 34, Pietersen’s triple century may be his last first-class innings as he only returned to county cricket to try to elbow his way back into the England side.

The big winner is Australia because for all Pietersen’s faults and foibles he was probably the one player they would have feared in the Ashes.

But you can hardly blame the Poms for cutting Pietersen loose, deciding the big ego was far more trouble than he was worth, and looking to the future rather than the past.

Originally published as Kevin Pietersen England: media and fans to turn KP axing into Ashes sideshow