Kevin Pietersen and 5 More Cricket Autobiographies That Need to Be Written

As the fallout from the imminent publication of Kevin Pietersen's autobiography continues with the lid of the England dressing room in recent years well and truly lifted, what other stories need to be told?

Which autobiographies would shed more light on the issues raised by Pietersen, and which other individuals could illuminate from the inside some of the more intriguing headlines of recent years?

Starting with the England team so heavily eviscerated by Pietersen, then moving on to a few other stories ranging from personal grievances to tumultuous events that shook the world of cricket, we take a look at five other cricket autobiographies that need to be written.

Firstly, there are some criteria for inclusion on this list. Anyone who has already released an autobiography is discounted, which covers many who might feel inclined to offer a fresh perspective on events outlined by Pietersen.

Most notably this rules out Matt Prior and the bowling clique of James Anderson, Stuart Broad (veteran of two memoirs at the age of 28) and Graeme Swann.

Secondly, all potential memoirs should be realistic prospects. Fascinating as Douglas Jardine's account of the bodyline series would be, his passing more than 50 years ago poses a serious problem in that regard unless you take the concept of the ghost writer to the literal extreme.

Finally, the personality of those concerned and the likelihood that they would be open and have something interesting to say is considered.

Peter Moores, for instance, is too positive a character to dish the dirt on his acrimonious departure from the top job and fallout with Pietersen first time round.

Read on for a roundup of some of the most interesting and potentially explosive cricket autobiographies that could follow the trail blazed by Kevin Pietersen in years to come.

1. Andy Flower

Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Pietersen was scathing in his criticism of his former coach, telling The Telegraph that Andy Flower "built a regime, he didn't build a team," and in his BBC interview, he outlined his belief that "Flower had it in for me ever since he took over."

Though many will feel compelled to refute Pietersen's side of the story, Andy Flower could offer the most interesting insight should he ever commit to a memoir.

That might be unlikely during his present tenure as technical director of elite coaching, and he remains tight-lipped for now, but eventually Flower will surely put pen to paper.

Even before his eventful spell in charge of England, Flower has a remarkable story to tell. In a poor Zimbabwe side, he averaged an impressive 51.54 with 12 centuries and 27 fifties in his 63 Tests, placing him in the top 30, in league with modern greats Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid.

More notable was his incredibly courageous black armband protest against the regime of Robert Mugabe at a World Cup fixture taking place in Zimbabwe in 2003. This was documented 10 years on in a BBC documentary, but a lengthy treatise from Flower would still be of great interest.

Similarly, an account of his time with England—from the highs of three consecutive Ashes series wins from 2009 to 2013 and victory in the 2010 World Twenty20 to the low point of a 5-0 humiliation in Australia in his final series in charge—would be fascinating enough in its own right.

After the revelations and accusations of Pietersen's book, which seeks to undermine even the most successful points of Flower's coaching reign, the potential for a personal perspective from Flower has moved into the realms of essential reading.

2. Jonathan Trott

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Unlike many of his colleagues, Jonathan Trott has yet to jump on the autobiography bandwagon to ride the crest of the wave from a slew of Ashes successes, and his unassuming manner and no-frills run-scoring hardly had potential punters crying out for his take on the England team's success.

Then came the struggles against Mitchell Johnson and the early departure from the last Ashes tour citing stress-related illness, as reported by The Guardian.

This was further complicated by clarification in March this year that he was suffering from burnout which led to a stinging rebuke from Michael Vaughan in his Telegraph column, claiming he felt "a little bit conned."

Trott made an aborted comeback with Warwickshire in April this year before the intervention of renowned sports psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters helped him back on the road to recovery, diagnosing him with "situation anxiety" according to Trott's interview with the Daily Mail.

This thoughtful cricketer has experienced exhilarating highs and desperate lows that threatened to end his career. Kevin Pietersen explicitly blames the England team culture for causing the latter and castigates the management for ignoring the issues when raised by Pietersen himself, outlined in The Independent through a series of anecdotes.

"

The most surprising revelation in KP's book is re Trott. Saying behaviour from Prior and Co helped in his demise. Interesting stuff.

— The Middle Stump (@TheMiddleStump) October 6, 2014"

A self-penned account of how Trott became the rock at the heart of one of England's most successful sides and then the first casualty when it fell apart would provide a fascinating insight into the highs and lows at the pinnacle of professional cricket where the stakes are high.

To what extent he backs up Pietersen's accusations that the team he was such an integral part of were central to his enforced break from the game would add an extra layer of intrigue, and with all the key stories already in the public domain, Trott's own viewpoint should make for a compelling read.

3. Simon Katich

Rob Griffith/Associated Press

He may lack the status of Kevin Pietersen, but the 2011 removal of Simon Katich from the list of centrally contracted cricketers brought similar levels of opprobrium onto Cricket Australia to that experienced by the ECB in the wake of the England batsman's sacking this year.

Katich even had his own version of Piers Morgan spouting hyperbole in the media in the shape of government minister Stephen Smith, who described it as an atrocity on national TV, as reported by ESPNcricinfo:

"

Well historically of course there have been a series of atrocities committed by the Australian Cricket Board or Cricket Australia or the Australian selectors against Western Australian cricketers but this one is extraordinary. This one is very high at the top of the list.

"

There have been many autobiographies from stars of Australian cricket, but Katich appears to have more appetite than most to criticise the Australian cricket authorities.

Following the loss of his central contract, ESPNcricinfo reported how he excoriated Australia's part-time selectors, noting "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" and highlighted the problem as systemic: "This is not just me, there's plenty of other guys out there as well who've gone through this."

The manner in which Katich suggests he was speaking for others who felt wronged was echoed by Pietersen this week, and much like KP, Katich had a strong record to fall back on.

S Rajesh outlined in ESPNcricinfo how he had scored more runs than any Australian at a better average since returning to the side in 2008.

While ESPNcricinfo's Daniel Brettig refers to him as "feisty" with reference to a physical altercation with Michael Clarke in 2009 and states that "Katich's temper, and willingness to scrap, are widely known," he also pays tribute to him as "among the shrewdest figures in the Australian game."

An autobiography from the former Australian Test cricketer would provide a healthy mix of the kind of insight and fireworks that have set tongues wagging following the publication of KP's book this week.

4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Graham Crouch/Getty Images

Of all the Indian players from the golden generation, MS Dhoni has the potential to write the most interesting autobiography.

As captain of India, he has scaled the highest peaks of international cricket, topping the Test rankings, winning the World Twenty20 in 2007, and claiming the World Cup in 2011, where he was named Man of the Match for his 91 not out from 79 balls in front of an adoring home crowd in Mumbai.

The peak of Dhoni's career has coincided with the riches of the Indian Premier League, such a bone of contention that drove a wedge between Pietersen and the rest of the England setup.

Dhoni has enthusiastically embraced the tournament, captaining Chennai Super Kings to two IPL titles and a further two Champions League T20 titles.

Few cricketers, if any, are as well-placed to chronicle the explosion of interest and wealth surrounding the IPL as Dhoni.

His status has helped make him the most marketable cricketer in the world, with $26million per year from endorsements making him the 22nd-wealthiest athlete in world sport as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

It has not been all glory and riches, however, as many have perceived the wealthy young Indian cricketers born into T20 and IPL wealth as disinterested in Test Cricket, and their Test record away from India has been nothing short of woeful with six victories and 12 defeats from 26 Tests, compared with 21 wins from 30 attempts at home.

"

Nasser: "What have you made of MS Dhoni's captaincy, Sourav?" Ganguly: "Poor. He goes through these patches, especially overseas."

— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) August 9, 2014"

As many fret for the future of Test cricket amidst fears it will be swallowed up by the more commercially viable shorter format, an autobiography from Dhoni highlighting the politics, pressure and money that drive Indian cricket in this era of flux is a tantalising prospect.

5. Mohammad Amir

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The exception to the rule that most of the above have had long, fulfilling careers to date is Mohammad Amir, the young Pakistan pace bowler who was implicated in arguably the deepest crisis to engulf the game since the Hansie Cronje scandal in 2000.

Along with captain Salman Butt and senior bowler Mohammad Asif, Amir deliberately bowled no-balls to order in exchange for cash as part of an illegal betting scam, and following a News of the World sting, was subjected to a six-month prison sentence and five-year ban from all cricket.

With his ban due to expire next year when he will still only be 23 years old, there is every chance that Mohammad Amir could go on to have a fruitful international career.

However, his cautionary tale could well have value in being told now. There has been some sympathy for Amir as a young and impressionable individual. Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja and coach Geoff Lawson told ESPNcricinfo that his age and humble background should be taken into account as mitigating circumstances.

Pakistani journalist Saad Shafqat wrote in ESPNcricinfo that Amir, having served a punishment that was fully deserved, should be used effectively to crusade against the corruption that snared him to deter others from following his path:

"

The ICC, the PCB, and the cricket establishment generally would do well to embrace him as such. Mohammad Amir the confessed spot-fixer, who was once a celebrated heir to Pakistan's fast-bowling dynasty, now going around warning young talent to stay clean: his credibility will be unmatched.

"

Telling his story in full could help to create a better understanding of how and why he got sucked into the nefarious world of spot-fixing, particularly amongst those such as Michael Vaughan who called for life bans and zero tolerance in The Telegraph, as he makes his controversial comeback next year.

More importantly, a detailed account of the consequences, including his incarceration, could help other young talents from falling into the same trap and help to provide an education more effective than any Powerpoint presentation or pamphlet from the cricket authorities.