Cricket
KP’s toilet reprimand
2013-01-21 12:15
Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – In what presumably amounts to a career first for
the controversial South African-born batsman, Kevin Pietersen has been rapped
over the knuckles by a match referee ... in an airport toilet.
English newspapers reported with some amusement at the
weekend that England’s stormy petrel from KwaZulu-Natal was reprimanded for
dissent in a one-day international against India in the gentlemen’s facility at
Ranchi airport.
Pietersen had been given out caught behind for 17 as England
lost a second game to the host nation on the trot, and left the crease shaking
his head (replays indicated he had, indeed, been done an injustice).
Later, as both teams awaited a charter flight at the
airport, a small regional one not used to accommodating international cricket
teams, Zimbabwean match referee Andy Pycroft asked Pietersen and England’s ODI
coach Ashley Giles to step into the toilet for at least a certain amount of
privacy.
Pietersen was then formally reprimanded, although it has
been suggested he did well to escape a fine.
Giles was later quoted as saying: “Yes, my first meeting
with the match referee was in the gents, so that was nice!
“Andy was right to speak to Kev ... I think common sense
prevailed. We have to be careful with reactions to decisions but I think it was
more disappointment from Kev.”
England are 2-1 down in the five-match ODI series.