England can no longer afford luxury of 'cricket mercenary' Pietersen: Blofeld

Venezuela Star (ANI) Tuesday 7th February, 2012

Cricket commentator Henry Blofeld has said that England can no longer afford the luxury of Kevin Pietersen.

In six innings against Pakistan, Pietersen scored 67 runs at an average of 11.16.

According to Blofeld, Pietersen simply does not have a clue how to play top-class spin bowling.

"If a batsman has such a glaring weakness at this stage of his career, he is never going to put it right," Blofeld writes in an article for the Daily Express.

"It was as agonising to watch him bat in this series as it was for him out in the middle. It was as if you could touch his nerves as he tried to put on a display of confident bravado every time he went to the crease," he adds.

"The confident Pietersen of 2005 when he first came into the side against Australia is far removed from the introspective Pietersen of today trying desperately hard to recapture that elusive past," Blofeld said.

Blofeld described Pietersen as always being a cricketing mercenary and feared that his interest in cricket is too self-centred and financial for his own or England's good. (ANI)