on KP

If I were an Englishman I'd like to whack some of these commentators. They don't, like all commentators(scroll down a bit in the linked post), believe in the mozzy concept. The way they were gushing about Pietersen's innings (while he still played it), was downright unnerving. He gave me no reason to think he'd get out, but they sure did. One that I recall off hand is this from Bob Willis:
"He won't get distracted, he is totally focussed".
That's an invitation for the curse, if ever there was one.

And the other thing I found...well, shall I say a little premature, was the
"these are shades of Viv Richards",
and this was repeated. Oh well, he looked absolutely fantastic yesterday, but that might be a bit much, don't you think?

It would seem otherwise. Mark Nicholas, for one, does not think so.

Of all the cricketers to have illuminated one-day cricket only Viv Richards might have done such a thing, or, at a pinch, Clive Lloyd and Adam Gilchrist.

(Um, There was this guy called klusener I remember, for one)
Again, I think the innings was absolutely breathtaking in its precision and dominance, but slow down guys, slow down with the praise-showering. Nicholas continues:

He hits the ball murderously hard, favours the same leg-side quarters as Sir Vivian but is able to smack the thing down the ground with such venom that fielders barely move a muscle in self-defence, never mind boundary protection.

Please Do Not take the name of someone who is this young in the same breath as Sir Vivian. If not for anything else, for Pietersen's sake.
The thrust of his column though, is pertinent as hell- Australia seem to have lost that aura.

To beat the Australians this weekend an opponent had simply to play better than them. This is easier said than done of course, against such wonderful cricketers, but previously there was baggage to deal with, brought about by the juggernaut of self-assurance that rolls into town with them.

Now work beckons. Though this work, I have been extremely happy to do, surrounded by images and sounds of the Natwest series.