Pietersen: made positive changes

When I was the England coach I always had players clamouring for sweets in the dressing room. In fact, I was nearly forced to employ a full time dentist!

David Lloyd
Quotes of the week

ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA
Third ODI from The Oval
10.30am, Fri, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
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Played three, won three. Clearly the England captaincy is an absolute doddle.

Kevin Pietersen must be wondering what all the fuss was about. He's getting results by knowing his own mind and implementing his ideas.

All of a sudden he seems to have stumbled across a decent team. He's tinkered with the bowling attack so Stuart Broad opens with James Anderson and then you've got two crackerjacks coming in - and they're all hitting you hard.

South Africa's top three - Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis - are world class but when we bowled fast and straight there wasn't a lot they could do, especially on that bouncy Trent Bridge pitch.

Pietersen has also decided that Owais Shah can go in at three, Andrew Flintoff at five, Paul Collingwood at six and he's picking Samit Patel over Graeme Swann. Clearly he has firm ideas and he's putting them in place.

Pietersen's interview before the match was unbelievable. He was asked about Ravi Bopara and whether it was a difficult decision to leave him out and the response was: 'No, Collingwood's fit so he plays.'

We didn't get the stock answer about how it was a tough decision or how it was hard to tell the player he was dropped. Pietersen knows what he wants and doesn't apologise for it. That's absolutely perfect.

After the win at Trent Bridge he said 'we've done nothing yet, we've only won two matches. Our biggest game is coming up on Friday'.

It's refreshing to see.

Tired tourists

South Africa look ready for home. They came to do a job in the Test matches and things seem to have rebounded on them in the one-dayers.

Prior to coming here they'd won nine out of nine one-day matches, but they look off the pace and you can see in their eyes that they're tired.

I'd prefer to see the one-dayers played before the Tests. The purists say the Test matches are all that matters, but look at the grounds - they are absolutely packed for these ODIs. Trent Bridge hasn't seen as much demand for tickets since the Ashes.

I sympathise with South Africa because I've been in this situation. You say all the right things about wanting to play well in these games, but it just doesn't happen for you.

They remind me of a great car that needs a service.

Sweet talk

Now then, let's talk about Marcus Trescothick and mints.

I did an interview earlier this week and they asked me about Trescothick's book, which claims the England team have been sucking sweets and putting the sugar and saliva onto the ball to get a better shine.

Now this is hardly a scandal. In fact it's the same situation we had in the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties when players were chewing gum, spitting on the ball, shining it up and trying to make it swing.

It's exactly the same as it was back then and it still doesn't make a blind bit of difference. But as long as the players think it does, let them carry on.

To put it in perspective, when I was the England coach I always had players clamouring for sweets in the dressing room. In fact, I was nearly forced to employ a full-time dentist!

If you look at the results it makes no difference, but it does have a psychological purpose.

It reminds me of a great physio I had called Wayne Morton who once went out to treat a player who'd gone down in a heap, supposedly injured.

Wayne ran out with a can of spray, covered in a towel, and this seemed to have the desired effect on the player who was soon back up on his feet.

When he got back, he showed me that under the towel was nothing more than a can of deodorant.

It goes to show how much in sport is mind over matter.

Kolpak attack

If you've watched Leicestershire this season, you might be excused for thinking you were watching South Africa's third team.

That side has been full of Kolpak players. But in the last couple of weeks they played a 20-year-old fast bowler called Sam Cliff who took four wickets, a 17-year-old called Josh Cobb who scored 178 and a 20-year-old called James Taylor; who's done brilliantly.

Question: Where have these players been all season? Why do you need all those Kolpaks when you've got these terrific young players?

These youngsters are obviously proving that they're good enough, so why have they not played earlier in the season?

The situation is being looked at and while the crackerjacks can stay, the days of the ordinary Kolpak are numbered.

I'll be talking about this more in the weeks to come. Watch this space!

Olympic gold

The Olympics have finished and while I was quite scathing about it before it started, I must admit I enjoyed some events.

In particular, I liked the women's beach volleyball... because there was some good technical skill.

They played the final on a beach in the rain and it all looked a bit soggy. I can see why it needs to be played in a hot country.

I also enjoyed the weightlifting. I saw a great line from Jasper Gerrard, who pointed out that Samoa's flag-bearer, who was a female weight-lifter, bore a striking resemblance to John Prescott.

Not that I'd say that to her face...

Bumble answers your questions...

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Good day David. When Nasser Hussain is on commentary it is like listening to a chapter from The Book Of Revelations, does he never have anything positive to say? He should be given the title of "THE GREAT KNOCKER ". We are used to these types in South Africa, always better than the lads out in the middle. Buy the man a couple of beers, might cheer him up. Keep up the good work and with Nasser if all else fails try a feather up his do dah. Best Regards, King Of The Coffin Dodgers, (Ex Lancastrian, Now a Bok) - Sunny Johannesburg, South Africa.

BUMBLE SAYS: What I want to know is how you can be both a Lancastrian and a Bok - or even worse an "ex Lancastrian"? How can you say that? You're either a Lancy or you're not, so look at yourself before you start writing to me about my mate Nasser. I'd love to know where you're from in "ex Lancashire".

Bumble, I have the mower, 4 tickets for Edgbaston '09 and it's yours!! Steve Hall.

BUMBLE SAYS: Well, I have a new mower now. The last one was never found and I believe it's a closed case due to a lack of evidence. I don't get any tickets anyway because they all go to the blokes in suits. What I do have is a lot of "new friends" who want to talk to me about 2009...

Send your questions to Bumble by filling in the feedback form below. Or you can mail them in by clicking HERE