Two views of Pieterson's release

News came down that England's cricket establishment had released the gifted but mercurial Kevin Pieterson from any further efforts in English Test cricket.   Views are divided on whether or not this is a good thing.

Kevin Pieterson:  Batsman's England career over

The ECB said that the England management, which includes Giles, Downton and national selector James Whitaker, agreed "unanimously" that Pietersen would not be part of their plans for those trips or beyond.

Downton, who took over from Hugh Morris on 1 February, added: "Clearly this was a tough decision because Kevin has been such an outstanding player for England, as the fact that he is the country's leading run-scorer in international cricket demonstrates.

"However, everyone was aware that there was a need to begin the long-term planning after the Australia tour. Therefore we have decided the time is right to look to the future."

 The Red Sledging:  the end of Kevin Pieterson

[the title is an allusion to Game of Thrones' Red Wedding]

All pundits seem to agree, however, that for a great of the game to be dispatched so unceremoniously is an unprecedented action in English cricket history. There has always been a high degree of pragmatism on the part of both Pietersen and the ECB  in their relationship. When the final account of events emerge it will be surprising if the letters I, P and L don't feature somewhere. All the same, the ECB saw Pietersen as a gun for hire when they invited him into the English team and have dispatched him in the same way. It's inconceivable that a home-grown player of comparable stature would have been treated the same way.

 Ultimately, all good careers come to an end -- and unfortunately, most sportsmen and women don't go out on a winning note.  Pieterson provided some amazing highs and few miserable lows in his career. The highs are what most will remember.