Talent Like Kevin Pietersen Needed to be Handled With Care: David Gower

Former England Captain David Gower feels that an "extraordinary talent" like Kevin Pietersen needed to a good captain, who could have guided him in right direction.(Pietersen's Omission Helping England: Strauss)

"Captains like Mike Brearley, Ray Illingworth or Ian Chappell may be have taken him by neck little earlier. There was a chance to keep him under control. He is an extraordinary talent," Gower said here today during a lecture at the Jolly Rovers Cricket Club, here this evening.

"People want to watch him (Pietersen) play. May be a strong leader would have told him to calm down saying you are a great player. Kevin was probably rude but he was not vengeful. He knows about people," Gower said.(Pietersen Not Part of England's Plans)

"You talk about football, he knows the many in the game. There are people who make more money than him. If you play football in England, it is 20 million pounds a year. Kevin needed some sort of separation from the temptations. If you play well, everything falls in place. One should be separated from the ability to be a good teamman and part of the team.  I think Kevin was misled," Gower analysed.

Gower felt that English captains should have spoken to ECB earlier when Pietersen was pulling in the wrong direction.

"Sadly for him, whenever he did those text messages (to South African cricketers), he did them under trust and whatever he did subsequently, he should have been told that Kevin you are a good player.

"When he went to Australia, he had never been a proper smoking gun. There was no one major incident.  At no stage, Kevin asked for the nose from the baseball bat. If the captain (Alastair Cook) had said to Kevin: "Kevin play for me and if the Captain had said to the ECB that he will manage this man and he is a great player..the captain would have got his way."