Pietersen: England were distracted

Eurosport - Sun, 02 Nov 14:59:00 2008

Kevin Pietersen said England failed to look beyond "the nonsense" after being humbled at the hands of the Stanford Superstars.

Stanford Superstars - 0

A dismal batting display saw England bowled out for 99, while a Caribbean side inspired by the heavy-hitting Chris Gayle made light work of the target to get their hands on the $20million winner-takes-all prize pot.

An ECB review of the competition, for which England have signed a five-year contract, is imminent and Pietersen is eager for any repeat visits to the Caribbean to be more professionally handled.

Much has been made of the cash on offer, as well as the conduct of Sir Allen Stanford himself following his on-camera flirtation with some of the players' wives.

"During the week we haven't been concentrating on the cricket, there's been a lot of nonsense during the week and we haven't concentrated on the cricket," Pietersen told Sky Sports.

"We should be focusing on the cricket. A lot of nonsense happened this week and I've just said to the lads that the key to what we do is concentrating solely on our cricket.

"Everything that has gone on this week, in terms of what has been done in the cricket and everything around it... it's been a week of other things.

"What we have to focus on now is batting, bowling and fielding. We're going to have to buy into the competition a lot more.

"We need to make sure we are 100% focused on winning games of cricket for England and leave the other things to other people."

Stanford Superstars assistant coach Roger Harper was full of praise for a side that contained a mixture of experienced West Indies stars and unheralded prospects from domestic cricket.

"It's difficult to say what it means but it's a fantastic achievement," he told Sky Sports.

"As a group it means a lot to us. It showed if you come together and work hard for a common focus, you can achieve anything.

"When we came together there were a few questions but as time passed and we put in the hard work, we all believed it was possible."

Harper also stressed Stanford's cash must not be an end in itself and should be used as the launchpad for a rejuvenation of the game in the West Indies.

"What I would seriously hope is that we learn from this as a team and as an organisation and that we build on this," he said.

"It's got to be the start of something. The players have a big cheque to collect but we need to use this to move West Indies cricket to another level."

Stanford hailed the success of the Superstars and expects it to be followed by a resurgence for the West Indies team on the international stage.

The Texan told Sky Sports: "Three years ago we started an experiment to get young kids who were going elsewhere back into cricket and to reward the best players in the Caribbean for their professional skills.

"We're doing it, the results are here tonight. We will beat anybody in the world with this team. We are back, we're going to take the world again. This programme is working."

Sporting Life / Eurosport

Comment 10 - 29 of 69

Sort comments by: Most recent

  1. Long ago cricket became a game of baseball and little­ else, what a pity, a great, great pity !

    From TREVOR J, on Sun 2 Nov 9:47AM

  2. The England Cricket team is a shambles. My Gran's­ got more heart and she's 90, i wish these so called­ professionals were passionate about their profession,­ instead they are
    half hearted just showing up to a game­ to collect their wage packet while the rest of us are­ getting battered by the Credit Crunch!!!! oh to be a­ pro footballer and
    cricketer it must be so­ stressful,the world they live in ( I THINK NOT).
    Well­ done to the West Indies cricket team they obviously­ needed the money more than these English Fat Cats,­ Money is a motivator to some after all . Ha!Ha!

    From Peter, on Sun 2 Nov 9:43AM

  3. No matter who wins…?
    This kind of programme will help­ cricket popularity and I’m very happy for this­ excellent progress in cricket game, “Which is very good­ thing for cricket”.

    From IBRAHIM M, on Sun 2 Nov 9:41AM

  4. WELL THAT SHOWS HOW RUBBISH THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    From boatengm, on Sun 2 Nov 9:32AM

  5. it's pathetic that a good game of cricket has to be­ ruined by overzealous nationalists and mass excusifying­ on BOTH sides.

    be ashamed, be very ashamed.

    From Roderick, on Sun 2 Nov 9:25AM

  6. For a start, England did not deserve to win. Their­ running between wickets was pathetic, the batting­ showed no signs of discipline or direction. The players­ were unfit, just look at Patel, overweight, could not­ even pick up the ball cleanly on the runout opportunity­ let alone throw straight at the wicket. The only two­ players that looked reasonably fit were Pieterson and­ Prior. The rest looked as though they had just been­ pulled off the beach. Stop moaning about the pitches,­ the West Indian batsmen also batted on the same pitch.­ Next time around try the Bangladeshi team.

    From Graham, on Sun 2 Nov 9:18AM

  7. why all the fuss, the result was probably fixed, study­ the betting patterns , Stanford and Co. no doubt ­ collected enough to cover expenses, it gets more like­ racing, snooker, football, etc etc, everytime a game is­ played.. In a nutshell, Corrupt !!! Tommy

    From huwev, on Sun 2 Nov 9:16AM

  8. Well done guys you have restored the pride in West­ Indies cricketers. I hope this is the begining of­ things to come.Sanford has shown us the way let's­ go foward from here.Once again well done

    From fred, on Sun 2 Nov 9:15AM

  9. Please before you post a message check your fact's­ Quote: Fact 1. They are said to have­ "invented" Football (though it is claimed­ that it was China) has won only one world cup and­ that's on a controversy goal! Unquote

    If you check­ the FACTS England beat Germany 4-2 by two goals so even­ if the controversial goal was disalowed we STILL would­ have won!

    This country is in the state it is in­ socially because of our weak imigration rules letting­ in many illegal immigrants and legal immigrants (of all­ colours, and religions) that we cannot physically­ handle.
    It's good to have a multicultural society­ but if you come to Britain you need to integrate and­ get behind your adopted country, the country that many­ imigrants have prospered in.

    This is not a broad brush­ over all immigrants but the ones like those who have­ posted today who are happy to take take take but do not­ want to be part of the bigger community.

    Sorry big­ rant but if you live in Britain and are peaceful and­ respect the Britain as a whole get behind your country­ and teams. They are yours just as much as­ mine.

    Anyway, on the subject of the match !!!! very­ poor, we all have off days but the conditions cannot be­ blamed as both sides had to play - England need to­ build stronger batting sides so that we can bat all the­ way down the order - shame on the top players who got­ very few runs I just hope that we pick things up for­ the forthcomming Tours - Ray Von - Kent

    From liv loving gym, on Sun 2 Nov 9:13AM

  10. Typical! @#$% excuses from a @#$% captain of a @#$%­ team! If any of these players played the game half as­ well as they talked about it, they'd have an­ outside chance of winning. As it is, they're all­ just full of bull@#$% and ego's. Well done Stanford­ - maybe this will be the humiliating kick in the @rse­ these losers need!

    From Appalled, on Sun 2 Nov 9:10AM

  11. Well done guys you have restored the pride in West­ Indies cricketers. I hope this is the begining of­ things to come.Sanford has shown us the way let's­ go foward from here.Once again well done

    From fred, on Sun 2 Nov 9:04AM

  12. Edgemru! I agree with marcus - your a 1st class­ muppet!!!

    From david.irwin75, on Sun 2 Nov 9:03AM

  13. Quote : Asians who are making most of England's­ economy and helping UK to thrive. Again on Financial­ sides, English are losers
    Unquote

    In the Uk , the­ political correctness has been enforced upon its own­ people by immigrants seeking refuge. Yet comments like­ this, by a person who most likely is someone who sought­ refuge, are totally unacceptable.
    Appreciate the good­ fortune and wealth you have since come by, because­ where you probably came from , you had nothing. If you­ had anything , you would have stayed there.
    This is a­ cricket forum not a place where you get the opportunity­ to bite the hand that fed you until you got too fat

    From SOUNDSTORM, on Sun 2 Nov 8:38AM

  14. This sham and cricket shouldn't be muttered in the­ same sentence. The England team were well and truly­ beaten by a side who are more used to the 20 over­ format and had 6 weeks preparing for the game. The­ England team had a week and in that week probably spent­ more time with the media than practising.
    I'll tell­ you now that if the same two teams played a proper game­ of cricket on a pitch worthy of First Class cricket­ then England would beat them ten times out of ten!
    Good­ luck to the West Indian Lads who have become­ millionaires but the likes of Pollard, Been and­ Fletcher will never achieve anything in Test Match­ cricket.

    From Paul Stringer, on Sun 2 Nov 7:50AM

  15. Kevin Pietersen's response to this debacle is­ un-believable, sorry.
    On Offer : $1m each and you­ don't prepare? BullS***t. That's tantamount to­ admitting that as a professional cricketer you are paid­ too much.There must have been one helluva lot of­ "nonsense".
    Why not just take it on the chin­ as SA did when they were whitewashed in the recent one­ day series, admitting they had been outplayed?
    You win­ some, Kevin and then you lose some. Shame on you. As a­ South African, I am embarrassed by your seemingly­ casual approach to your recent appointment as captain­ of the English cricket team; by most people's­ yardstick a real honour.

    From Up the Boks, on Sun 2 Nov 7:50AM

  16. What goes 99 bonk? No not a centipede with a wooden leg­ but the English cricket team - oh dear what a mess.They­ were completely outplayed and outclassed. Why can't­ our cricket captains be honest and admit the other side­ were a better team instead of offering up feeble­ excuses for playing so badly. Perhaps Kevin Pietersen­ won't be so arrogant now and they have a very hard­ task in front of them in India. Oh can somebody coach­ Pietersen on how to throw the ball.

    From PIXIE, on Sun 2 Nov 7:35AM

  17. Out played, out classed, no commitment, beaten before a­ ball was bowled

    From bethhumphreys, on Sun 2 Nov 6:59AM

  18. This should be renamed: The Yahoo Racist Comment Board­ - never read such a load of kak from both sides - shame­ on you all...oh, and by the way, the spear was invented­ a long time before such concepts of 'Africa'­ marcus, you "ill-informed bigot"

    From redneck_detector, on Sun 2 Nov 6:33AM

  19. edgemru clearly you know nothing, as (1) most clubs in­ the Championship have at least 3 British players, (2)­ Any Succesful country in the 18th and 19th century­ "discovered" other countries including­ Portugal, France, Spain, Italy & China, are they­ all "doomed" as well? (4) Since the UK is in­ recession, yet you say the Asians are helping the UK­ thrive, does that make them responsible for the­ recession? (5) What the hell does any of your post have­ to do with cricket you pathetic, misinformed, bigoted­ muppet.

    From , on Sun 2 Nov 6:12AM
  20. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Yo Andy Jones, you have lost in the name of Dog! oops­ God.

    From edgemru, on Sun 2 Nov 5:09AM
Sort comments by: Most recent

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account