Matt Reeder: Cricket and Pietersen are starting to head in totally wrong direction

After all, how is he supposed to know that Chelsea, the place where he has chosen to settle with his family, is not actually anywhere near to Hampshire, the place where he is supposed to be playing his cricket?

If only someone had told him that London was a good 90-minute drive away from the Rose Bowl then maybe he would not have made such an error and indeed chosen somewhere a little closer to Southampton to lay his hat.

And it is no good his doubters raising the fact that he should know where Hampshire is simply because he has been on their books since 2005.

Pietersen may have been a Hampshire player for the last five years in name, but the reality has been somewhat different with the county only making use of his services five times in the last three years, the last of which was last weekend during a T20 match in... London.

It was after that match against Surrey last weekend that he was asked the question whether he would like to play more games for his county. As a centrally contracted player it is accepted that he would not be a regular for the south coast side, but nevertheless would he enjoy the chance of more club cricket?

"Geographically, it just doesn't work – I live in Chelsea," was his reply.

The people of Hampshire are well used to not seeing their star player, they don't even class him as one of their own. And why should they if he is never there to play for them. Okay, so he might not like the drive down the M3 much, but that is like someone getting a job in Leeds, moving to Manchester and complaining that the M62 is a bit busy.

Hampshire, both the members and the officials, have every right to feel short-changed by their big-name star. However, it is not all Pietersen's fault, even if his explanation for why he wants to move may seem a little ill-judged and shallow to some.

Pietersen, pictured, joined Hampshire as he was on the cusp of the England set-up, having proved himself as a one-day specialist.

His first summer with the county coincided with the 2005 Ashes series and while maybe he and others were looking forward to seeing him help the county challenge for honours, history tells us how the cricketing gods clearly had bigger plans for this prodigious talent from Pietermaritzburg.

The moment he scored that dazzling series-sealing century at The Oval, he became a world-wide star. Indeed, his departure from Hampshire may have only been confirmed this week but, in reality, it was sealed five years ago.

And that is the shame of this whole story, and the shame of the whole central contracts system.

Okay, so our Test cricketers are being protected and yes, we are seeing some semblance of positivity in the results on the pitch, but should we really follow a path which offers greatness at international level but which threatens the standards, values and even the future of our county game?

Admittedly some sort of control is needed from the ECB. The Test circuit is now so crowded that it is impossible for players to turn out for their country and their county week-in-week-out just as they used to in the not-too-distant past.

But a county scene, whether it be Championship, CB40 or even T20 needs its star players. England players need to be given that chance to play among their club colleagues and the supporters of all ages need to be able to watch them.

It was a crying shame that the best years of Michael Vaughan were denied the Yorkshire public as he was whisked away for his country, and that, by the time he returned, he was a broken man.

Sadly, Pietersen's case is one which threatens the very fabric of the county game. For when you look at his stats for Hampshire and you start to count just how many times he has played for them you end up asking yourself was it worth it?

Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire's chairman, had gradually become hardened to an inevitable parting of the ways. "Given the

international schedule we have to adhere to and the England management's policy of withdrawing players from county cricket in favour of rest and recuperation, we haven't seen as much of KP as we would have liked over the past six years," he said. "The ECB's policy of releasing players for their counties is quite opaque and I don't understand it."

So, does Pietersen really need a new county? What is stopping him from going freelance? He can stay centrally contracted with England but have no club to call home other than maybe signing on for the odd T20 season when the mood takes him.

Someone had better give him an A-to-Z first, though... just so he knows where he is going.

JUST as England's footballers left us all wondering and pondering where the next win would come from, their rugby union counterparts displayed all of the necessary characteristics so sadly missing in South Africa.

Questions were still being asked of what had gone wrong in Cape Town the night before, when we settled down to watch Martin Johnson's much-maligned outfit take on overwhelming favourites Australia in the second Test.

In stark contrast to England's footballers, the union boys put in a display so full of guts, determination and spirit that maybe a DVD should be sent to Mr Fabio Capello for viewing in the England camp ahead of Wednesday's crucial group game.

and another thing...

IN his own words Andy Murray says winning a debut grand slam at Wimbledon this summer would be 'incredible'. Sorry, but 'miracle' is more apt.

Every year we let ourselves get caught up in the 'will he, won't he' saga of Britain's search for a Wimbledon winner, and every year we are left disappointed by yet another heroic failure. Tim Henman started off our run of nearly-but-not-quite-glory years when he gallantly made it through to four semi-finals.

Henman would ultimately prove to be not quite good enough. And sadly I fear Andy Murray will end up being put in the same category.

I am as excited as the next sports fan to see a Brit in the world's top five but sadly I fear Murray has already reached his peak... and his peak is not quite good enough to take home the ultimate prize of a grand slam. He is world class and this is not a slight on his efforts, but I fear he will always be just that little bit shy of winning the big ones.

I would love to be proved wrong, but I won't be holding my breath.