Former England captain and much-lauded batsman Kevin Pietersen’s KP: The Autobiography is populated by a cast of characters designed to reflect well on the protagonist. And so, among others, we find a “sad, sad bastard”, “weak prick” and “mood hoover”. Needless to say, the recognisable real-life owners of those monikers are not pleased, and are campaigning to have Pietersen’s book shelved under “fiction” instead.
Ex-teammate Graeme Swann, the villain of the piece and the man at whom the double “sad” honorific has been aimed, has dismissed Pietersen’s book as a “Jules Verne” adventure. Another former England captain, Michael Atherton, detected a hazy Holmesian plot playing out on its pages. Predictably, perhaps, Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting sounded a note of dissent, backing Pietersen’s claim of being bullied by Swann and others.
Pietersen isn’t the first cricketer to pen a book with revenge and royalties on his mind. But he has outdone previous efforts in insulting rivals and washing dirty linen in public. Will his success see more vitriolic reminiscences, and thus a murkier cricket story?
